BREAK OUT
by NikoLeto
Summary: A Varia Story taking place ten years later. All is well in the future, but nothing lasts forever. Flames eventually die out. Wings will be clipped. Time is relentless. Change is inevitable. Even ones as strong as Varia will be broken down. With the future coming in fast, will Varia break up or break out? Rating changes to M in chapters 6 and 10 for graphic descriptions.
1. Enter Varia

**BREAK OUT**

_A Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Fanfiction_

Niko: Alright, let's get this story started! I did say that the first chapter will be up soon, didn't I? Today marks the beginning of **BREAK OUT**!

Ooh, by the way, if you notice up top, this story has a cool little logo thing. I designed it back in the beginning of the school year, and I am very proud of it. Right now it might not make much sense, but once more chapters start flowing in, it will make more sense.  
(But boo, fanfiction cropped it. If you want to see the uncropped version, look up **Kimitori-J** on deviantART, it should be my newest submission)

Before we start, I'd like to thank all the people who waited for my return. I noticed every single review, alert, and favourite, and they have really pushed me to make this story good. I hope that this story is too your likings.

So then, let's start.

EDIT: If you've read the latest chapter of Reborn! (specifically chapter 398 and those proceeding it) this story is sort of off-canon now. However! I have a good explanation for what happens in this story. It takes place in a parallel world or a separate timeline, whichever terminology you'd prefer. Basically, in this timeline: it takes place ten years in the future, Byakuran is gone, and Mammon is a part of Varia rather than Fran/Flan (who is with Mukuro I suppose). I hope that clears things up!

**I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!**

* * *

**Enter Varia**

_All around me were sounds. Different sounds but familiar. A furious crackling before an explosion. Ribs groaning as they were snapped by the force of a blunt surface. An uninterested scoff before wailing screams, begging for mercy. A joyful laughter as the knives buzzed around in the sky taking their targets without hesitation. Yes sounds I recognize, sounds of my comrades. Sounds that would make the weak of heart faint or run, but they made my heart pound will excitement. _

_But then... more sounds came, overthrowing the ones I found familiar.  
_

_Each started small. The near inaudible sound of a coin flipping then a sharp cry of lightning. The delicate sound of a fan flapping before the squelching sound flesh being punctured. A frustrated growl before the hum of a blade as it sliced through its mark. The quiet prowl of an arrow in the air before a scream brimming with terror and disbelief. The sound of heavy footsteps against the ground ending with the scream of a blade breaking in two.  
_

_What? What are these? I... I don't recognize them at all. The quiet sounds were then drowned out as the louder ones blasted out. Then the sounds clamoured together vehemently trying to overtake one another. Familiar sounds and unfamiliar ones warring against each other. It was loud but it was silenced by a gunshot.  
_

_A familiar gunshot fruitlessly colliding with a metal surface.  
_

_Then the sounds erupted once more, now peppered with gunshots and the sound of a heavy blade whirling in the air. It was starting to disturb me. No, not disturb. It made my heart race and quench at the same time. I was excited, yet at the same time I was paralyzed by some unknown force. What is this feeling? It's so... sickeningly nostalgic.  
_

_****__"Hey, Squalo, did you know sharks are the most dangerous predators in the waters? However, even the mighty shark is the prey to man."_  


___Ah, that's what it is... Hello again, my fear. I remember locking you up a long, long time ago. I remember disowning you completely. Why have you come back?  
_

___I was replied by the calming yet thrilling sound of blades grunting against each other. The other sounds had disappeared, leaving the swords to overtake the void they had left. My heart beat against my chest, it was going crazy. I don't know what's going on. I'm excited. I'm calm. I'm scared. I'm angry. What's happening?  
_

* * *

I woke up eventually. I had been getting these dreams frequently now. Each time another sound would join. This time it was the sounds of swords clashing. It was too much of a coincidence but I was unsure of who to talk to about these "dreams". There were no sights, only sounds. Sometimes, there would be a flicker of visuals. Usually my comrades and their weapons, but nothing else. I suppose... I could talk to Mammon about them... but he'd probably charge me for it...

Forget it. It was a dream and it doesn't matter.

It was clearly morning, but still too early to be up. Good though. It's best to wake up at this time, before you get caught in Bel's pranks. Every now and then, Bel will set something up for an unsuspecting member of Varia. It's also how he wakes up, because the moment the prank is a success, the prankee will yell out his name in utter frustration. He has too much time on his hands, really. I would just set an alarm clock.

Of course, no one ever knows who will be pranked, only Bel and maybe Mammon. Mammon, despite being an kid, does not get much sleep and usually spends his nights floating around the base. Sometimes he witnesses Belphegor set up his traps during his nightly floats. Mammon has often offered some members to watch over Belphegor in case he happens to target them, for a price of course. Occasionally though, Belphegor will prank more than one person, just for the Hell of it. This is why I usually wake up earlier than most other members. To get myself ready for the day and wait for the sounds of unhappy and frustrated Varia members.

This is how I start my day.

From my bed I looked around me. Nothing seemed to be tampered with. My room was plain, to say the least. My bed was large, and was far from the door. Beside it was a nightstand with barely anything inside it. Against the wall was a large wardrobe, filled simply with five sets of my uniform, and a couple bits of casual and formal attire. My sword leaned against the nightstand, at the ready in case there was ever a threat during the night.

Opposite from my bed, in clear view, was the painting I had kept since my years in the academy. Several times I was tempted to paint over it, since my hair is no longer as short as it is in the painting. However each time I would decide against it. Luccino, the original painter, had done a stunning job with my hair. It had this radiant glow that I could not ever attempt to replicate into longer locks. I left it as it was, as a message to me: "This is your goal."

One night when Belphegor came into to set up a prank for me, I was still awake. I noticed the paintbrush in his hand and I gave him a warning. Belphegor maybe young and stupid, but he knows when to back off. Yes he still sets up pranks on me, but he knows to avoid that painting and my sword, just as he knows not to prank the big boss.

Well, everything seems normal, I think I will continue on with my day then. I got out of my bed and grabbed my sword as I stood up. All seemed well so far. So far. I took my sword along with me into the washroom. Each member of Varia has their own washroom in their room, which is good. Besides my bedroom and occasionally the rooftop, the washroom is the only place I get some privacy and regain some of my sanity.

Nothing was out of place when I was inside. I closed the door behind me and placed my sword against the wall as I went to wash my face. While everything seemed fine, there was a foreign smell in the air. I knew it was there but I just did not know where it came form or what it was. It was not a foul smell, but it was different, which made it easier to sense.

I tried to wave it off as petty paranoia. As I washed my face, I met my own glare in the mirror. Every time I saw a mirror or some kind of reflective surface, I would look and wait, but she never came back. Before I could only see Esther from reflective surfaces, as if she didn't belong in this world. However as years passed, I could see her beside me without the presence of a mirror between us. Only I could see her, which was nice. Since she disappeared that night, I would stare into the mirror, waiting for the moment she would surprise me and come back.

Each time though, I was alone with my reflection.

I reached for my toothbrush and toothpaste, trying to feel a little more at ease. There was only a small chance Belphegor would even prank me. Then again, he preferred pranking me, since my voice was definitely loud enough to wake him up from the other side of the base. I sighed and shook the paranoia as I squeezed the tube to empty its contents onto my brush.

Glue...

He put... glue in the toothpaste...(1)

I bit my lip and sucked in air. Breathe Squalo, breathe and do not fulfill the desires of that bratty prince. Breathe and go into the cabinet and get another tube. That's right. I shifted over to the cabinet and took out another tube of toothpaste.

Glue.

Another tube.

...

"VOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIII! GODDAMMIT, HOW DO EVEN HAVE THE FUCKING TIME TO PUT GLUE INTO ALL THOSE TUBES? THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU! I CAN'T EVEN...! VVVVVOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIII!"

* * *

Breakfast was lovely.

Everyone was in the dining room. Meal times varied with Varia. Often times we wouldn't eat together, we were usually too busy with missions. There were those rare occurrences when we all had enough free time to sit together inside four closed walls to eat and chat like sane humans.

Yeah right.

Breakfast was usually milder than any other meals we share together. A lot of us were not morning people, so that was the main reason. However, some of us just happened to be morning people.

Let's go down the list: Xanxus usually isn't even at his seat. He's most likely still sleeping in his bedroom. However today, he has presented us the gift of his presence, only to fall asleep between bites of his unusually large breakfast. I was not sure which was stranger, the sound of Xanxus scarfing down food or the sound of Xanxus snoring with food in his mouth. Obvious to say, boss is not a morning person.

Leviathan was definitely not a morning person. Judging by his unhappy expression, and the fact I heard loud noises coming from his room, he must have also been pranked today. I was beginning to wonder if it had been the same prank, since Levi did not eat anything. All he did was take the occasional sip of his coffee, unusually with a straw. It was nice not hearing his voice. Perhaps Bel was onto something here.

Speaking of Belphegor, he was partially a morning person and partially not. It really depended on whether or not his prank succeeded. He was content at breakfast, knowing that at least Levi was caught in his snares. Even though I did not mirror the same results as Levi had, Bel was content knowing that I at least recognized his handiwork. This is a bad habit that I have.

Beside the chirpy prince was Mammon. Over the ten years, he had grown more evidently than the rest of us. Mammon, who was no longer an infant, was not a morning person, usually because Bel would always wake him up in the morning cheerfully. Usually, if Belphegor is in a good mood in the morning, Mammon probably isn't. The opposite is the same, if Belphegor is not so happy, Mammon will be quietly content.

Lussuria as expected is an up-beat morning person, if Belphegor did not prank him in the morning. So of course, Lussuria had a bright smile on his face as he ate his food neater than the rest of us. Every now and then he would prompt the other members to engage in conversation. Today Belphegor was the big talker, while Mammon played around with his food and Levi kept his mouth shut and gave Bel death glares. Lussuria just saw it as any regular day, which, in all honesty, it was.

Then there was me. I can't say I am a morning person, but I can get through the morning just fine... sort of. About the toothpaste, I resorted to asking the only other person up as early as me for a tube: Mammon. I was still wondering just how Belphergor found the time to take all the toothpaste out and put glue back in the tubes. Not just for me but for Levi too, that brat was just asking for it.

Normally, whenever the team gets together for a meal, there is usually a reason for it. The meal has nothing to do with the reason, it is just there to get boss to come over. So what was the reason for this meeting? The same topic of discussion we've had for approximately ten years:

A new officer candidate for Varia.

Ten years ago, we had our first meeting on it. We decided it to be Fran(2) however he became... an undesirable candidate with his memories of the future gone. After that we would have the same discussion at least once a year.

It's hard finding an appropriate candidate for the officer position of Varia. First and foremost, we would check with our subordinates, if there were any who were fit for a promotion. However, they always failed to impress us each year. Many of our subordinates would not even apply. I have no idea why. Even if a subordinate passed the minimum qualifications, it was then the current officerss choices to decide whether or not they should be promoted. Of course it was difficult for the six of us to come together into a unanimous decision. Applicant after applicant, we would veto each other's decisions and votes. Xanxus did not make these decisions any easier. If he showed up, he would always say no, and bunch of other colourful vocabulary before asking for a shot of tequila.

Other times, we would have the odd person outside of Varia, Fran for example, and put them under consideration for Varia. However it is still difficult. The fact that they are not in Varia as a subordinate makes us question their abilities. There is also the bare minimum qualification that they must be fluent in a minimum of seven languages.

Yes I do speak at least seven languages, nine actually: Italian, English, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, Hindi, German, French, and Punjabi.

So for ten years, we still have not found our new officer. We once suggested to bring back Gola Mosca, but the Vongola Decimo would definitely not agree with that. As much as we still follow the now quite elderly Vongola Nono, we are still under the brat and his Guardians. Sometimes I chuckle at the thought of what would have happened if we had won those times. Maybe if we had succeeded in the coup d'état or during the Ring Battles, what would be different right now? I wonder...

The reason why we kept looking for a new officer was because the Vongola Decimo wanted it so. The six of us were fine on our own, but a seventh member could not hurt, even as a replacement in case things got ugly. Some years he asks us of the status of the search, but we always come empty-handed.

So I don't think I need to continue on about how the rest of the day carried out. It's boring really. When we could all be out on missions, we're stuck in the Varia base, going over our applicants. One good thing is that each year they are different, I don't need to be reminded how our own subordinates scream like pubescent children. It does get tiring watching grown men scream and run out of the room, defiling their uniform pants in fear.

Okay why did I even...

* * *

What was a single day felt like a year. Sort of made sense though. Our applicants were... unpromising, at best, once again. Xanxus fell asleep right after eating, leaving the rest of us to bicker about the applicants.

The first was a wiry and lean young man. He was incomprehensibly flexible and swift. Part-way through showing his abilities, Bel started throwing knives, which he was able to dodge. However, he lacked any physical strength, which is kind of a qualification you need to have when you're in an assassination squad. As quick as he was on his feet, we decided against him.

Another was a chubby man with a sense of humour. He was rather strong and despite his girth, he was rather agile. Bel found him humourous, a fat man fluttering like a butterfly. Levi didn't like him though, he did not act like he was reliable in any way. During his fluttering, he had eventually knocked over the boss's glass onto the floor. Xanxus, fortunately, was asleep, but he twitched at the sound of glass falling to the floor. The idiot was lucky but luck doesn't exist in our line of work and he was one risk we were definitely not taking.

Later on there was a noisy man with great physical strength. He was strong and he was very able with a multitude of weapons. Lussuria liked him quite a lot, especially when the candidate greeted him as "Big Sis Lussuria". Well he's got one of our votes then. Leviathan also liked how he was quite disciplined as well, being perfectly on time and greeted each of the officers. Another vote. For once, it seemed like we finally had a clear winner. He was well built, strong, disciplined, and seemed perfect for the job. When he was showing how he handled each weapon, Xanxus had apparently woken up. No one had noticed the awakening of our boss until a gunshot shouted across the dining room and a high-pitched scream echoed shortly after. The candidate was holding his head down, crouching on the ground and shaking as much as a person huddled in a ball possibly could. The bullet didn't hit him, but it was close enough to result in a panic attack from the candidate. Xanxus scoffed and grunted for the next applicant before leaning back in his chair, returning to his slumber

Progress made: none

* * *

By the end of the day we had gone through a third of our applicants. Some of the interviews took much longer than expected, some were in and out before they could even show us anything.

We also had to end early, because we were called in by the Vongola Decimo. Odd of him to call us on such short notice. He would often send someone at least a month in advance. He of all people knew just how busy our schedules were, we can't always go meet up for a meeting when we're across the globe dealing with difficult targets. So when the Vongola agent came to give us the message, we all knew something was wrong. We ended the interviews and decided that we would continue tomorrow. I already knew we weren't going to get through all of them in one day. We never do.

So we headed off to the Vongola base, which was not too far from ours. Since Varia was a part of Vongola, it would make sense that our bases were close. However when we built the base, we built it a little further away from the Vongola property, showing how we don't really support the Vongola Decimo. I was not sure how to view his response when he let us build our base further off. Was he humouring us?

It was a hectic car ride later before we got to the base. The Vongola agent continued to guide us, even though we knew where to go. I guess Vongola still was weary of Varia ever since the Cradle Affair. We had to trust each other at least on the battlefield, but when we were together in each other's grounds, we were viewed as threats.

We got to the conference room where the brat and his Guardians were. Each one of them had aged much as well. They had all grown and matured in some way, even that piece of trash, Yamamoto.

"Voi, it's been a while you scum!" I greeted them the same way I pretty much always greeted them. Smiles flickered on a couple faces as we took our seats before the Vongola Decimo.

"So, what have you called us in for, this time?" It was very likely to be a mission and judging by his sudden call for us, it was probably an urgent job that needed to be completely swiftly and efficiently. Everything seemed to be like business as usual.

But it was not.

"I have heard that we caught you in the middle of your officer candidate interviews," Tsunayoshi Sawada spoke. He, of all of those kids, had probably grown the most. A no-good wuss who was scared of the world now owned it in his hand through the mafia. His eyes had hardened but they still held a warmth that not many mafia members could hold. That warmth was not just the Dying Will Flame, but something else foreign to me.

"Have you had any results?"

"No one," I answered briefly. Between all of us, I was usually the only one to converse with the Vongola. Levi, of all of us, did not support him at all. Xanxus refused to acknowledge Sawada as Vongola Decimo, even to point of refusing to attend his Inheritance Ceremony. Belphegor often says he finds it boring talking to peasants. I'm not entirely sure why Mammon and Lussuria don't speak, but I think it is along the lines of boredom. That left me. Great.

"I see..." Sawada frowned when he heard the new. I refused to believe that he had called us just for a status update on us finding a new officer. No, there was more he wanted to say. So I kept my mouth shut and waited.

"I suppose you've been wondering why I called you over," Sawada said, noticing that we were all waiting. Not necessarily for him, but waiting for when we could leave.

"Well Varia has been issued a challenge by vagabond troop of assassins. They are waiting in the other room and they have requested a tournament between themselves and Varia. How does that sound to you?"

A challenge? Well this was definitely different. We have not been challenged like this before. It was a formal challenge, a tournament, which meant there had to be strings attached. Risks that will need to be taken. Blood that had to be spilled. I liked it and it seemed I wasn't the only one.

"VVOOOOIII! WE ACCEPT THEIR CHALLENGE!"

* * *

Nico: And that's it for this chapter!

Okay, basically this chapter is rather calm and humourous in a sense, no action just yet. The action should start coming up soon when the problem of the story comes about. Soon.

**A reminder:** I will be posting up a new chapter once a week, so chapter 2 will be out next week!

**Notes:**

1. Points for anyone who understood that reference

2. (This should be two notes but oh well.) I'm not entirely sure if his name is Fran or Flan. Apparently Flan is popularly chosen as his official name, but on official merchandise his name is Fran. I just chose Fran, because I think it sounds cute in my opinion (Fran, short for Francis, he was found in France).  
Another note about Fran is that he was one of the reasons (besides school) that I could not write this story earlier. I needed to find out whether or not Fran would still be a part of Varia (since I stick very close to the canon when I write fanfictions).

Before I end this chapter off I have a message for a reviewer. As I cannot private message you back, I hope you read this because I would like to thank you. Your message hurt. It truly did. For a moment in time I wanted to give up this story. But no. I didn't. Because I saw what I had to do. I have to write it. Not just for myself, not just for you, but for all the kind readers who liked the prequel.  
I am honoured that you deemed my story interesting, so I hope that you will be patient as I post up the chapters. I hope to finish this story within the summer. So please... just give me some time.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you kindly for reading.

Please Read and Review!


	2. Enter Merlo

Niko: Chapter two~**  
**

So this is when the main problem comes in, and when the logo of this story starts making sense.

V for Varia, M for...

**I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!**

* * *

**Enter Merlo  
**

When the Vongola Decimo called for the other team to come in the conference room, I wasn't sure what to expect. In our line of work, expectations for things like these would only weaken us. We can't always have a certain expectation on our target, or in this case, our challengers. We've seen a bunch of people in our line of work that an expectation seemed pointless. We don't expect. We kill.

However, if I were to expect something of our challengers, I guess I would have been surprised when they walked in.

They were a seven man team, for starters. By numbers, they already had an advantage, but it wasn't like Varia hadn't been outnumbered before. One extra man wasn't going to change anything.

Each of them were cloaked and masked, which was peculiar. Each mask was a plain white with painted black expressions. Each member had a different expression on their mask: frustration, bliss, sorrow, smug, the list goes on. Their cloaks covered their bodies and possibly hid their weapons.

Then one member, who I assume was the leader of this group, took his mask off, and soon the rest followed.

All but one.

"Varia, a pleasure it is to finally meet your acquaintance. My name is Marcello Vasco and I am the leader of Merlo," the leader spoke, with his mask clenched in his left hand. His skin was olive coloured and his hair was a tad bit darker than his skin. "You'll have to excuse our masks and cloaks. I'm sure the Vongola Decimo must have mentioned our nomadic tendencies."

_Merlo_...

Nomadic or not, why hide yourselves if you are simply moving from place to place. There was something that they were hiding beside their faces.

"Then what of that short member?" Levi called out. It was... different, hearing him speak out. Like I mentioned before, I'm usually the speaker.

Of course, Levi was mentioning the shortest member of the group before us. He was also heavily cloaked and kept his mask on his face. He stood close beside the leader, and shifted slightly when attention had finally been cast towards him.

"Pay no attention to Nuvola," the leader smiled. "He is young and self-conscious." It wasn't until then I noticed the kid, Nuvola as they called him, was holding hands with the leader. What was this kid doing in the mafia?

"What reason does Merlo have for challenging Varia?" I asked carefully. At first I thought that this little challenge would be fun, but this group was getting on my nerves. Something was not right about them.

"Hmm... it would be easier if I were to start from the beginning," Marcello spoke. "Merlo used to be under a different name when we were under a faraway famiglia. We were renowned for our prowess and our ability. Similar to Varia. Until one day we went renegade. We fought off our famiglia long enough to escape its clutches. Our aim for challenging Varia however, is to take your place."

We stood still. We wouldn't still be alive if we gave in to every surprise the enemy had thrown at us.

"And why do you wish for our position? You had left your own famiglia to go to another one? Seems pointless," I spoke again.

"We cannot exactly return to our old famiglia, and through our travels we had overheard that Varia and the current Vongola Decimo do not stand quite well together. Why should the Vongola have to worry about a petty assassination squad that doesn't even support him?"

Did he just call us "petty?"

"And just what makes you think we'll let your leave here alive?" My poker face had cracked into a smirk.

"Because... we already have the Vongola Decimo and his Guardians in agreement," Marcello then walked over to the brat. "Isn't that right, Vongola?"

"Yes, he is correct," Sawada's spoke. "The tournament will be held in the Vongola base. Varia and Merlo will fight for the position of Vongola's elite assassination squad. Whoever loses, must disband and will be exiled from the Vongola famiglia."

This was when some of us lost their cool, while the rest of us saw what was happening. Mammon and I, and probably Xanxus, could see that that was not Sawada speaking. He was being controlled.

"Hypnotism..." Mammon grumbled with his usual tone of annoyance. He knew what we were all thinking, could he fight it off? He shook his head. "This is no illusion.  
To be more precise, it is not even something within the capabilities of the Dying Will Flames. It is a spell, of which the likes I've never encountered before."

That... wasn't good. Besides being an illusionist, Mammon was Varia's best, and sort of our only, spell caster. Many of times his illusions were superb, but his spells were what made him truly worthy of his officer position in Varia. Spell casting is an ability not many have, since not many survive its practices. Mammon, although not in physical years, is the oldest of all of us. If there is even something he has no encountered before, that is an instant bad sign for the rest of us.

"It is nothing that you should take to concern," one of the members said rather sweetly, as if recognizing our anxiety. "Worry not your pretty little heads, we would never use the hypnotism to ensure our victory."

"We just want a cleanly fought tournament," Marcello jumped in. "A simple tournament between Merlo and Varia. Winner will be Vongola's elite assassination squad, Loser disbands and leaves."

Fuck "cleanly!" Fuck "simple!" I'll splatter their blood all over the drywall!

"What's in it for us?" Mammon asked. "You win and you get the position you want. We win and what?"

Another member laughed. "You don't get it do you? It doesn't matter what your going to get _if_ you win. _If_ you don't fight us that is an automatic surrender, and that's our win. But really, you can't expect to win in your position. There's no luck in your hand of cards, you were fucked the moment we decided to challenge you."

"Loveless," Marcello said sternly to the member, Loveless apparently. Then he turned to us and gave us a smile. A fucking _smile_. You'd think that if he wanted to play innocent, he would have done that from the get go, but no. Now, after he's proven themselves as a threat to not only us but Vongola as well, he's smiling as if to appease us. Either he thinks we're about to rip him into piece, which we might, or he's just playing us even more.

"I realize now that we've been quite rude for skipping our introductions," Marcello spoke while keeping that damn smile on his face. "We already know about Varia. Mammon, illusionist and spell caster chosen as an Acrobaleno. Belphegor otherwise known as "Prince the Ripper" and a genius of battle. Leviathan, ever loyal to your leader and merciless to whomever your target is. Lussuria, trained in the battle style of Muay Thai and youngest body building champion. Squalo, the second-in-comand of Varia, Second Sword Emperor, child prodigy of the blade, but ever haunted by the ghosts of his pasts. And Xanxus, current leader of Varia, who lost his position as Vongola Decimo to a child. We could go on, we know everything about you, Varia."

Everything else made sense. Of course they could have known that much, but when they came to me, how did they know? How was it possible for them to know? Anything else could have been researched from a book or by common gossip, but that! No one but me knew about that (1)!

"Allow me," Marcello interrupted my thoughts. He gestured to the member with the sweet voice (2).

"This is Hou Po, exiled member of the Chinese mafia, our very own illusionist and spell caster." Hou Po bowed curtly as Marcello introduced him. He was the tallest and his skin was lightly tanned. His hair was long enough to tie a short braid that hung on right side of his rather large cranium. The hairs were naturally a dark black, but were bleached to a brown, and dyed to a white at the very tip of the braid. His eyes were a rather bright indigo colour, that seemed innocent, yet filled with mischief.

"His highness Aero, firstborn son to the throne, wanted for the mass murder of the royal family." Aero twirled his mask in his hands, obviously bored with being here. He was the second tallest, with milky skin and waves of golden hair tied into a small tail. His eyes were red, burning with passion, or was it flooded with blood? His nose protruded from his face like a bird's beak.

"Next is Lluks Loveless, known also as Luckless, long known for his gambling habits and has cheated death several times." Lluks had been smirking at us ever since he had taken off his mask, maybe for even longer. His face was tanned from the sun, and his dark brown hair was braided into a long braid behind him, which rested between his shoulder blades. His eyes were lighted with an energetic green that seemed to be covered with lies.

"This is Root Valerian, a young man who never sleeps but waits for his target to come to him." Root scoffed and and continued to eye us with pools of sunshine. He was one of the shorter, next to Nuvola. His skin was tanned lightly, with dirty blonde hair. His arms were crossed and his feet were placed in a balanced and stable position. Out of all of them, he looked like he truly did not want to be here.

"After that is Vellalar, who is yet to be fluent in English, but is still a sturdy warrior." He did look sturdy. Vellalar seemed fairly well built, from what I could see, and was only a little taller than Root. His skin was dark and so was his hair. His eyes were a bright blue that looked like waves crashing against each other in the sea. On his forehead was a scar, not a noticeable one, but one that would appear whenever his eyebrows raised.

"And finally is our beloved Nuvola, whom we call Loreto, our very own second-in-command, and a child prodigy in every aspect." Nuvola, or rather Loreto stood before us, the only one still with a mask on. From what I could see, he was the shortest of the members, and likely the youngest. He wore a top hat and... there was something on it. It was difficult to see from the distance between us, but there was something small and bright yellow on his hat.

"So now that introductions are aside, what do you say, Varia?" Marcello gave out his hand in our general direction, his smile had disappeared. "Will you save us the effort of a pointless battle, or will you fight for your failure?"

It happened so quickly, I nearly missed it, because I didn't expect it. All of sudden came a whipping sound, a cocked gun, and then the ferocious growl of a bullet being freed from it's holster. It ended with when the bullet met cold hard metal and then the fine mahogany of a nearby table.

Xanxus had shot at him. It wasn't rare for him to do so, but this time was different. My left arm seemed to tense up when he shot. Our boss was reckless and stupid at times, not that I would say that to his face, but right now he was not acting out of stupidity. It was like the Cradle Affair, it was like the Vongola Ring Battle; he was a lion fighting for his rightful throne.

Before us, Marcello had defended himself from the shot, which had ricocheted off the surface of his axe. On that note, the rest of Merlo had taken out their weapons, and that was when I wondered if that was Xanxus's intention. My eyes darted taking in all that it could. Axe. Fan. Bow and Arrows. Pistols and throwing knives. Sickle. Spear and Mace. Rapier.

"So that's how it is..." Marcello's smile reappeared. "We will meet here tomorrow for the tournament. For now, we will take our leave." One by one they started to leave.

All but one.

Nuvola, or Loreto rather, stayed in his spot and stared at us for a long while. Then he simply bowed and followed after his team.

While they all left we had a chance to kill them all with their backs turned to us. We had the chance, but we did not take it. None of us took it.

Today... was definitely not any other day.

* * *

Niko: So Varia's being challenged! Just how will this play out, I wonder...

**Notes:**

1. I can't help it, reading over this line I keep thinking that Merlo went on Reborn! wikia and read **Requiem of Rain**. They did their RESEARCH! (but no, there's another reason for this, but this makes for a funny headcanon)

2. Not sure if anyone would be interested in knowing, but all the members of Merlo (aside from Marcello and Loreto) are recycled characters of mine. They used to be a part of this adventure story of mine, inspired by **Dragon Quest IX** (by the way, it's a good game). Each of them has a pun in their name (some are more obvious and others are not, but I'll go into further detail another time)

So next chapter shall be the start of the tournament. How the tournament will be setup, will be announced also in the next chapter.

Upon writing this chapter, I faced a little... problem. Not a big problem, but still a problem. Hopefully, after I get the next chapter written, the problem will be fixed.

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review!


	3. Overtaking the Storm, Cry of Thunder

Niko: Time for another chapter!

So now, the tournament finally starts, let's see how things play out...

I'll be honest, I started writing this chapter just the other day, and I've just finished. I feel so jittery with productivity and excitement!

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!**

* * *

**Overtaking the Storm, Cry of Thunder  
**

_The sounds came again. I did not realize until now. What a coincidence? The sounds of my dreams and the arrival of Merlo. No, I don't see it as fate. I don't like the idea of being strung up like puppet, living life through someone else's dictation. I also don't believe in coincidences either. Things don't just happen without reason. _**  
**

_So whatever my dreams were, I now know that the sounds I heard were the sounds of Varia and Merlo fighting. Then at the end, it was just the swords clashing. One, I knew, was mine. The other had to be that rapier I saw yesterday. My heart started to beat with excitement and fear again at the sounds.  
_

_Then... than came something new. I nearly missed it behind the sounds of swords lunging at each other. It was a soft sound and slightly melodic.  
_

_A blackbird chirping._

* * *

I woke up. For a moment, I wondered where I was. However, I returned to my senses once I saw my sword beside me. The other night I couldn't sleep, so I had retreated up to the roof. There I lay under the night sky, just watching the stars, until sleep had finally taken hold of me and pulled me under. Now, I was still at the roof, although the sky was no longer as clear as I remembered it being. Dark clouds were approaching, which could mean many things. I just needed to figure out if it was a coincidence or not.

Who really knows?

I got up from where I lay and headed down back to my room, sword in my firm grip. I needed a shower and to change. Ever since yesterday, I hadn't removed my uniform at all. Sure, it's a lot better in comparison to wearing the same uniform for over a month while away on a mission. At least I don't have to wash blood off it. That shit is hard to wash off.

As I walked through the hallways of the Varia base, all was quiet. It was still early, very early. Something told me Levi was probably going to be awake soon though, since he was always prepared for a battle well ahead. When I got to my room I noticed that nothing was out of place. There was no strange smell, no eerie feeling, it was just my room.

There was no prank today. No glue. No crazed exclamations coming other rooms. There was no fun and games.

Not today.

I peeled myself out of my uniform and started the shower. Even now, I wasn't a fan of baths. Sure baths were nice at times, but I always found myself preferring showers instead. I stood under the spray and tried to convince myself that I was out under warm rain. After about 27 minutes of just standing under the spray, I started to wash my hair. It wasn't as easy as it used to be. My hair had grown long and it required more attention now.

While I was washing up, I heard the blare of what seemed like 200 alarm clocks(1). I guess everyone's waking up now.

After the shower I dried up and changed into a fresh uniform. Once that was all done I grabbed my sword and headed for the dining room. Surprise, surprise, Levi was already at the table eating breakfast at a steady pace. I took my usual seat, which was next to Xanxus's, and the servants came in and gave me my plate. As I picked up my cutlery, Lussuria came in and took his seat next. When I was in the middle of eating, Belphegor and Mammon came in. 20 minutes or so later, Xanxus came in, looking unusually refreshed.

We all sat in our respective seats at the dining table and ate. For once, all was silent besides the sound of cutlery and jaws tearing apart food, aside from Xanxus, who was eating noisily as usual. We all kept our eyes and our attention on our food, but we all head the same thoughts going through our minds.

"Which one of us will have the pleasure of spilling blood first?"

"Last one to Merlo is a sissy."(2)

However, all in all it all summed up to one thought. One thought that I don't think any of us has ever had for a long time.

"Don't lose."

* * *

We decided against waiting for the Vongola agent to drive over and take us to the Vongola base. We were done with our preparations, so we set out to the Vongola base on foot. As we continued along, so did our silence. None of us had spoken. Words weren't needed where we were going.

Eventually we arrived at the base. When we got there, a black limo drove up to the entrance of the base, where we now stood. We all paused as Merlo got out of the limo. They had all left their masks and cloaks behind, aside from Loreto who still veiled his face with his smirking mask. They were all clothed in what must have been the Merlo uniform, with a black and blue colourscheme. Each of them looked as ready for battle as we were.

Side by side, but only physically, Varia and Merlo were led by a Vongola agent through the vast halls of the Vongola base. None of us looked at each other once we entered the building. No eye contact and no conversations. Neither of us had come here for mundane things like that.

We were professionals after all.

We were back to the room where we were yesterday. The Vongola Decimo and his Guardians were there waiting for us. I could tell now that they were not under hypnotism. All they knew was that Varia and Merlo were having a tournament, and that the winner would take their place as Vongola's elite assassination squad. They just did not know why.

On that note, we don't really know why either. Why target us and try to take our position? Why try to become a part of Vongola? There are many other families out there. Why even become a part of a family? If they were as good as they said, they could just form a rogue team of assassins. This group was just full of mysteries.

"Upon discussion, we have decided that this tournament between Varia and Merlo will be a battle of Dying Will Flames," Sawada spoke after greeting us upon our arrival. As he spoke a large screen came down behind him, displaying the battles for the tournament. "Each of you will battle the member of the opposite team who has the same Dying Will Flame as you do. It will be a test, not only of yourselves as assassins, but a test of your dying will, the very resolve you have."

Up on the screen there were the different battles. Mist Battle: Mammon vs. Hou Pou. Sun Battle: Lussuria vs. Root Valerian. Thunder Battle: Leviathan vs. Lluks Loveless. Rain Battle: Squalo Superbi vs. Vellalar. Storm Battle: Belphegor vs. Aero. Sky Battle: Xanxus vs. Marcello. The only one who didn't have a battle was Loreto, whom I could assume kindled the Cloud aspect. It was no big deal. We would have this all finished quickly.

"There will be two battles each day, each battle will be chosen at random on the day of," Sawada continued explaining. "We have already set up areas for their respective battles. An agent will bring the combatants to the areas but the remainder of the team must stay back here, where they can watch the battle from the screen. This is only for safety precautions. Each area is under surveillance by Vongola agents, in case any one thinks about breaking the rules. As for the rules go, each battle is a duel between the two combatants. Being it a duel, there _will be no killing_. As you are _professionals_ I intend to see you fight for the position _professionally_. Also, the use of Animal Boxes are prohibited. The battle will end when one of the combatants has been severely injured and/or is unable to continue, or if one of the combatants surrenders. Are there any questions?"

Once he noticed that there were none, he faced the screen behind him. "Very well, the first battle will be..."

Every one of us shot our attention to the screen. If it was not obvious from our expressions, we were starving for our first battle. All of us wanted to go first and finish up quickly and efficiently. We wanted to show this Merlo that Varia wasn't a team to underestimate, and that they were going to regret ever challenging us in the first place. One the screen, the different attributes of the sky whirled about, for a clean shuffle. In 10 agonizing seconds, one attribute was taken out.

_Tempesta._

Storm.

A wry smile appeared on Belphegor's face, finally. It was odd seeing him without that expression of youthful mischief. He probably didn't have the best morning since he had not set up a prank. Now he was finally going to get his daily fix of chaos.

His opponent was Aero. It was clear that his weapon of choice was a bow and arrow. In his ready hands was his bow, which he had been pulling at since we had entered the building. His quiver appeared to be attached to the fabric of his uniform, so there was no way to distance him and his arrows. Although, I'm sure Belphegor will work something out. He is a genius after all.

Belphegor flashed us one toothy grin as an agent ushered him and Aero out of the room.

* * *

**(Belphegor)**

I knew I was going to be called out first, because I am a Prince(3). Of all of the Varia officers to go, it would only be expected if the best was to go first and take care of the situation. It was all to be expected.

My opponent didn't seem so tough. He looked like a prissy boy, who was more focused on his looks than killing. I'm sure the others might say that it's not good to underestimate the enemy, but where's the enemy here? All I see is a target for my knives to imbed.

"Ushishishi," I couldn't help but let out a curt laugh as we neared the area of our battle. I could tell that caught his attention. He eyed me for a long while. I had been staring at him too, but I doubt he knew. Now, what was his name again? Ah, I forgot. Whatever, he's just another peasant under my boot anyway.

It was a short while later until he finally made it to the battle area. Before we could go in, another Vongola agent came and the two separated us and led us individually into the area.

"It's all part of the battle sir," the agent explained briefly. I understood once I was in. The area was a cluttered office. All around me were small booths, each with things like an old computer, paperwork, and other forms of stationary the peasant folk require. The room we were in was large though, from where I stood, I could not even see the peasant. It came clear to me that this was a game of hide-and-seek.

"3, 2, 1, GO!" With that I started taking out my wires and began setting them up where I started at. I'll win this little game, besides all I have to do is find the peasant before the peasant finds me. Simple enough a bit boring though.

That was what I thought until I heard explosions. The explosions started getting louder, which meant they were getting closer. I felt the edges of my lips tug for a smirk.

Yes! this pleases the Prince. Finally! A little chaos!

I began to make my move and started laying out wires and knives elsewhere. I set them all up swiftly before making off to the next destination. I had to move fast and keep a sharp eye out, in case I spot him. His explosions might make a few come loose, but I just needed to spread out the radius of my attack range. I just needed enough to trap him in a web of wires. Once he was caught in the snare, the knives will finish him off.

Forget the rules. I am a Prince and I am higher than the law.

* * *

**(Squalo)**

We all watched the screen in anticipation as the explosions started. The entire battlefield was an emptied office room in the Vongola Base. Belphegor and Aero were positioned on opposite sides of the room before the battle started. Once the call was given to begin, Aero and Bel had started to move. Bel had started laying out traps all around the area. Aero on the other hand was tearing the place apart. The moment the battle had started Aero took out an arrow and fit it to his bow. We all watched as the point was covered in Storm flames and was let loose to fly. Using the Storm aspect perfectly, the arrow met its target and exploded.

Now, Aero kept slinging out arrows, obliterating the maze before them. In some senses, one could say he wasn't wasting time, but he was wasting ammunition. Belphegor on the other hand was at least taking precautionary action. This was a race to find the other, but with Belphegor's traps, he didn't need to find Aero. He just needed his traps to find Aero.

Approximately 15 minutes had passed and Belphegor had stayed off Aero's radar. Aero had destroyed nearly half of the office room, leaving bits and pieces on the ground in his wake. In that time however Belphegor had set up his traps all around the room, and Aero, being half-done, was in the middle of the web(4).

The camera closed in on Aero, trapped between all the wires, which were now cutting into all visible skin. He looked frustrated but he wasn't about to take out another arrow from his quiver. No, he was waiting. But for what?

Unless...

* * *

**(Belphegor)**

I had long perfected my Cutting Knives Waltz, but now I have created a much deadlier trap, which the peasant is now trapped in. It is set up just like the Cutting Knives Waltz, where wires are set up all around the battlefield. Then I use knives in conjunction with the wires to surround and attack my opponent in all directions. However, what the difference was is that these are no normal knives. Well the were at the moment, but on my command, each and every knife will be covered with a layer of Storm flames. Controlling them by the flames, I bring the knives to the peasant and... well I don't think I need to explain the rest~

Ushishishi, I think I shall call it the Storming Knives Waltz(5).

With a snap of my fingers then, each and every knife was coated in Storm flames and all went flying for the peasant. Just as they were about to make their mark, the peasant spotted me.

Shit! I started to run. Then I felt a rude tap on my shoulder.

"Tick tick boom!"(6)

Everything exploded.

* * *

**(Squalo)**

"What the fuck?" was all we had in mind as the screen showed us the entire office room covered in Storm flames clashing and exploding together.

It was just as I had expected. If it had been anyone else, Belphegor may have gone on with his trap undetected, but there was something he didn't keep in mind. Aero was able to sense the source of his flames. So when Belphegor had lighted all his knives, that was when Aero was finally able to detect him by his flames. So right when Bel's knives were coming towards him, Aero sent out an arrow towards Belphegor.

Now... now we wait until the smoke clears and sees which one of them survived.

* * *

**(Belphegor)**

There was a really bad pain on my back. I was shot in my back shoulder, where the brunt of my pain was. The rest of the back part of my body was thoroughly burnt from the explosion. I forced my upper body up with my elbows and looked around, but there was nothing I could see. Smoke was everywhere. Movement was difficult with half of my body burnt. Aw damn, it hurts! I've never been hit this hard before.

I struggled to move with my elbows, but it hurt just to move. Goddamn, that peasant better be dead. I don't have the energy to put up with anymore of this shit.

Then I felt my hair being pulled. I grunted obscenities as I was forcefully pulled up and tossed. I cursed when my burnt back made contact with the blissfully unloving ground covered with debris. I yelled in anger when I felt two blunt objects pin my torso to the ground, augmenting the pain even more.

"You damned peasant..." I hissed at the Merlo member who was now over me. Who the hell did he fucking think he was, pinning a Prince to the ground?

"You're the fucking peasant," the Merlo member huffed hovered over me. "Now before I kill you... let me see your eyes~" I watched as his hand reached towards my hair again and pulled my head forward for a closer look.

No one ever saw my eyes, only those I deemed worthy, such as Lussuria that one time and Mammon, but besides that, no one. My eyes give away my very nationality, if I'm discovered, the UN would topple upon my discovery. My royal heritage is the last since I killed all the others. Royal blood runs through my veins.

Royal blood... like the warm trail that currently rand down my forehead around my nose and over my lips. I could taste it.

"Kaching, peasant."

And then I proceeded to gut him like a fish.

* * *

**(Squalo)**

Just as we saw Belphegor stab Aero in the stomach with a hidden knife, the screen went dark and the battle was over. Just as Belphegor was caught unaware, Aero was blind to Belphegor's prowess. Many assume through Belphegor's wires and throwing knives that he is a long-distant fighter. They always overlook that fact that Belphegor is a genius and is flexible no matter what distance he is from the target. Whether it's long-distance or close combat, Belphegor will do anything to win, that ideal and his determination to uphold it made Belphegor a desirable member of Varia. Since in Varia: failure was not, is not, and never will be an option.

"Winner: Belphegor." showed up on the screen for a mere few seconds before the screen then began to shuffle the list for the next battle. For a moment we could all breathe at the fact that Belphegor took that last move. Although we were trained not to care for the others, we were all worried for Belphegor in one way or another. Judging by blisters on his visible skin and the severity of his pain, Belphegor had retained second degree burns. He was somewhat fortunate that it wasn't worse, but he would require treatment and fast.

"While we have the next battle, Vongola agents will tend to the combatants' wounds, no need to worry," Sawada spoke, as if noticing the tiniest hints of worry we held. I shook it from my mind and paid attention to the screen. If I was up next, I couldn't allow myself to be caught off guard just because a team member had been seriously injured. Worrying and crying don't solve the problem. All we could do was face forward and be ready. Finally the next battle was picked.

_Fulmine._

Lightning.

Without a single sound, Levi walked over to the Vongola agent in charge of taking him to the battle area. His opponent was Lluks Loveless, who had a wicked smile on his face as he walked over beside Levi.

"Hey big guy, how about we flip a coin to see who wins this? Come on, the coin never lies, big guy," Lluks smiled as he waved a coin before Levi's face. Levi however refused to give the slightest sign that he agreed to it. "Oh come on, it's just a little game, I'll even let you pick first."

Levi however stayed silent.

"Fine, I'll pick heads, and you'll be tails," with that Levi flipped the coin. He was probably the only one really staring at the coin. I was just wondering what the hell he was playing at. The coin landed in his palm at last.

"Heads, big guy, the coin has spoken," Lluks smirked, as if he felt like he had proven something. If that was standards of Merlo, then the rest of these battles will finish off without a hitch.

* * *

**(Leviathan)**

I was displeased that I was not going first. Had I been given the opportunity, I would have been able to show Boss that I am his true right-hand man. I suppose second will have to suffice. I will not lose. I will not fail. I devote my life for his praise.

As we walked, I noticed that we were leaving the building. Dark clouds had devoured the blue sky, it was _my _kind of weather. I suppose that this was probably an aftermath of Belphegor and that Merlo member's destruction earlier. Vongola already knew what Varia was capable off. It was no matter to me. If we were outside, I would have a larger area for my attack, which also meant a lesser chance for this... charlatan to escape.

There was little to be said about my opponent. From his wry smile alone, I knew that he was reckless. A child's mind in the body of a young man. I have killed people worth ten of him, and he will meet that same fate as them. He seemed to have no fear, but I will show him what true fear is. He and his team will regret the day they challenged the Boss's position, and I will give them all the reasons why.

The storm has just begun.

Now it's time for the _lightning_.

* * *

**(Squalo)**

When the screen finally unveiled the current battle, we saw that Levi and Lluks were outside this time. That was good, at least for us. Levi's parabolas need an open area for it to work at its best. From what we could see, which was an awful lot, they were in a clearing in the middle of a forest.

There are a multitude of things that could happen here. Unlike Belphegor and Aero's battle, they were positioned right in front of each other. They could either duke it out in the clearing, or they could take the fight into the forest and turn it into a hide-and-seek game like the Storm battle. Both were perfectly acceptable means of fighting, although the idea of fighting in the forest was looking to become hazardous, especially if Levi planned to use his signature move.

"3, 2, 1, GO!" Without a delay the battle began and Lluks made the first move by dashing into the forest.

So that's how this was going to play out.

We watched as Levi quickly went after him. The screen switched to various other cameras, showing us various angles of their positions. Levi kept moving, never once stopping. We didn't know what they were capable of, and lest we underestimate them, we have to be ready for anything. In another visual was Lluks who was standing in a single spot, hidden behind a large tree.

After all that talk, all that boasting, he was playing the defensive role? No. This guy was an assassin. He _had_ to be smarter than that. There had to be a trick. He had something planned and for all we knew, Levi may already be playing right into it.

"What is he doing?" Lussuria whispered over to me. Upon registering the concern in his voice, I returned my attention to Leviathan and he had stopped moving. He had bent down to the ground. He was not hurt but rather he was picking something up off the ground. The camera was too far away for us to see what he had picked up, so we were left to our imaginations to wonder what could have possibly deterred Levi from his path.

Whatever it was, he better not regret that decision, because the moment he picked up that thing was when Lluks started moving again.

* * *

**(Leviathan)**

I could hear the sky rumble as I chased after the coward who had fled into the forest. He may think he could run, but not for long. I will find him. I continued moving, staying in a single spot would definitely be my undoing. I searched and looked everywhere, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Were all those pompous remarks earlier just a facade?

It was then when I noticed a shine catch my eye. I took the risk and slowed my run to a walk until I stopped and bent down to pick up the object. A coin. Could it be... from him? Was this some kind of trap? Still, it was the only lead I had for finding him. It was a risk I decided to take, besides, a weakling like him will not be able to take me down.

I started moving again until I made a complete circle, back to the clearing, where my runaway opponent now stood.

"Are you done running?" I spat out. If his plan was to tire me out, he was surely mistaken. It was going to take much more than that to bring my resolve down. I was ready for the battle the moment the challenged us. That mere diversion was nothing more than a walk in the park to me, and now I'm ready for the real race to start.

"Ready whenever you are big guy, but there's no luck for you," Lluks smirked then started charging towards me.

Yes, he was running right into my trap. When he took the first step towards me, I reached for my parabolas and tossed all eight of them into the air. Each one of them opened and began charging power. Soon, each one of them was at full power. That fool was going to be charred. I had won the moment he came charging at me. Here it came, the certain kill blow.

Then came the sounds of bullets piercing through the air, the clang of metal hitting metal, and then a cry of thunder.

The forest was on fire.

"Saved you~" Lluks voice rang out amidst the rising smoke that blurred both our vision.

* * *

**(Squalo)**

"Tch, so that's his play," Mammon scowled. We were all beginning to wonder just what Lluks was playing at. He really wasn't all the fool that he tried to show himself as. For one, he was a good shot. Levi's Levi Volta was a big factor as to why he was a part of Varia. It's power was immeasurable and its accuracy was perfect. This was however the first time any of us had seen it fail.

We all knew something was wrong when Lluks began charging towards Levi empty handed. It was all part of his plan. He wanted Levi to think he had an opening. He wanted Levi to attack, precisely with his Levi Volta. So when the parabola were charging up power, he would take out his pistols and shoot at the tube part of the parabola(7), sending their aim towards the trees of the forest. With the accumulated electricity, the power is equivalent to a lightning bolt. Lluks wanted the forest on fire.

The screen was now veiled with smoke. We couldn't see anything, and neither could they.

* * *

**(Leviathan)**

With so much smoke, it wouldn't take long before one of us faints due to lack of oxygen. I had to end this quickly. I had to find my opponent and put an end to him. First, though, I needed to find my parabolas, which were now scattered across the clearing. I kept myself low, not only because of the smoke but in case that fool started shooting. I had a better chance at dodging his bullets the lower I crept. I quickly gathered my parabolas, but one was missing.

"Yoohoo~ You missing something, big guy?"I turned around and through the smoke, I could just barely make out the appearance of my opponent. In his hands was my last parabola. "So explain to me how this thingy works, it looks like a regular umbrella."

I did not give him an explanation. There was no point in giving him one. An explanation of my parabolas was not going to win the battle, if anything, it would probably distract me long enough for him to make his move. So I decided against it as I grabbed one of my parabolas and coated it in Lightning Flames and then I charged towards him with the parabola straight out(8).

I skewered his right arm to the trunk of a tree. He grunted upon being impaled and released his grip on my parabola.

"S-so... this is the... _thanks_ I get... for saving your fucking ass, heh? Nnnext time... y-your on your own, big guy...!"

He moved so quickly, I nearly missed it. He took his brought his left hand up, which wielded a knife. I backed up, taking the parabola out of his right arm and quickly pressed the bottom spring and let the stretcher push the parabola open. Since the surface of the parabola was covered with Lightning Flames, the aspect of hardening from the flames made the parabola into a shield, protecting me from his attack.

Once his strike was shown to be fruitless, he jumped back while I picked up my last parabola from the ground. We could both see it in each other's eyes. This battle had gone on long enough. It was time to finish this.

As he ran with his knives out, I threw out my eight parabolas for one final Levi Volta. Just as he threw his knives at me, the parabolas were all fully charged and sent their attack to their target.

Me.

Everything went black, but I could hear everything. The crackling of the fire that surrounded us, my parabolas falling to the ground, and then the sound of my opponent drew closer to me.

"I told you big guy... I sa... saved you back there, you wanna know... why?" He spoke slowly and each word came out difficultly. "I already... told you... the _silver_ coin... never... lies."

_Silver_...(9)

Forgive.. me...

...Boss...

* * *

Niko: Cliffhanger! (yes, I'm back to my evil cliffhanger ways again!)

Oh my gosh, I did not mean for this chapter to be so long but... I just can't bring myself to shorten it.

Since I decided that **Requiem of Rain **was going to have a sequel, I was constantly wondering, should this new story still be under Squalo's point of view? I knew that I wanted to do a story ten years later, focusing on Varia as a group, but it felt right to write in Squalo's point of view. So as you saw in the first two chapters, Squalo was the main perspective of this story.

However, in this chapter (and the chapters to come) this changes. My planning is that in total, Squalo _will_ be the main perspective throughout this story, although every now and then (especially during the battles) the perspectives might change. This also gives me a chance to practice with writing in first person with different personality types.

So I hope you all like the little change I added to this story. It also helps to add a little action to the otherwise boring narration of Squalo from behind the screen.

**Notes:**

1. A little reminder: Levi has 116 alarm clocks, so the other 84 or so belong to the rest of Varia

2. BBC Sherlock reference (guess what I've been watching when I'm not writing~), by Moriarty

3. "_Datte ore wa oji damon_" (Because I am a Prince), which is Belphegor's catchphrase (and appropriate way to introduce his perspective, I think)

4. He's setting up his Cutting Knives Waltz

5. Because I'm punny like that.

6. Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes reference (guess what I've been watching when I'm not writing or watching Sherlock~), by Hawkeye

7. The tube part is basically the long stick part of the umbrella

8. This is Leviathan's Lightning Lunge

9. Silver is the best conductor of electricity (sorry Levi...) and specifically silver coins are seen as good luck charms

*If anyone was curious, I said previously that all the members in Merlo (except Marcello and Loreto) has puns in their names. Aero's is quite obvious (his full name is actually Aero Beaux, get it? "Arrow Bow?"). Lluks Loveless isn't as obvious, Lluks is backwards for "skull" and Lluks (in my imagination) looks like a pirate to me, Loveless on the other hand is the surname of a famous American man who made knives (which happen to be one of Lluks's weapons of choice). So yeah!

Whoo! I am so psyched with this chapter. I'm not sure if words can convey this feeling I have right now!

Oh, before I forget, there will be a nice surprise next chapter! See you all then!

Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a review!


	4. Breaking Rain and the Setting Sun

Niko: I did say that there will be a nice surprise for chapter 4! This is the surprise! An early chapter!

Why? Well half of it is because I was so psyched from writing the last chapter that I _had_ to keep going. I was on a roll!  
The other half has to do with the date today (at least according to my calender)! _July 28th_. It was 2 years ago when I first published **Requiem of Rain** on FanFiction, and also the day I officially came back to FanFiction. So I thought I would treat you all with a chapter that I feel so proud of.

For everyone who has been reading since the beginning, thank you for being with me all this time.  
For everyone who has read **Requiem of Rain** and awaited **B****REAK OUT** for a year, thank you for your patience.  
For everyone who is reading now, I am honoured for your interest in my work.

Thank you all.

Now without further ado!

**I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!**

* * *

**Breaking Rain and the Setting Sun  
**

I don't know how long I had stayed under the rain. Once we had returned to the base, the dark clouds had finally let their heavy burden down in the form of rain. I just stood out on the roof, feeling each drop of rain colliding unto me. Yes, the rain was calming and it did allow me to regain my grasps on the situation, but I still could not believe what I had seen back there.

When I left the base this morning, I knew that this wasn't going to be just any other battle. Merlo had a strange aura about them that just didn't make them trustworthy in any aspect. I told myself to be cautious. We all knew it. Merlo was a group of assassins just as we were. We were prepared, but I'm not entirely sure if I was prepared to see two of our best members, _officers of Varia_, to be injured to that level of severity.

Belphegor had won with the last exertion of energy he had left. Those burns on his back would surely take a while to heal, but even then it would still leave a scar. Leviathan wasn't as fortunate. We found out later just what he had picked up, and just as we dreaded, it lead to his most powerful attack taking target towards himself. Through the surprise of his attack turning on him, he barely noticed the six knives that imbedded his abdomen. He was charred and would require stitches for those knife wounds. The two of them, even if their wounds heal, they might even require rehabilitation to be mobile once again. We had been in tough situations before, but not like this. Nothing at all like this.

We were all in some way surprised, I'm sure. Mammon asked the Vongola agents about Belphegor and Leviathan. We couldn't bring them back to the base in their conditions. Our only option was to let them stay in the Vongola base and recuperate. When we asked about their injuries, I swore I saw the colour fade from Mammon's face upon hearing Belphegor's current state. After the grim update, Mammon said he would leave for the base without us, and just disappeared.

The three of us, Lussuria, Xanxus and I allowed for a Vongola agent to drive us back to the base. Lussuria, who would usually be the one who would start a conversation between us, was uncomfortably silent. Even one as bright and talkative as he was, now held his mouth shut after the events of today.

Xanxus did not appear to have been affected, but he was. I still remember eighteen years ago, on the day of the Cradle Affair, I had gone "unconscious" and after the usual insult, Xanxus had shown concern for my well being. During the entire ride back to the base, he kept his eyes locked to the window, his hands balled up into tight fists. I don't believe that what happened back then was a tiny bit of my imagination, I knew Xanxus cared. I knew he cared then and I knew he cared now.

"But caring won't make Belphegor and Leviathan better," I spoke out loud as I stood completely drenched in rain. I would need a shower once I got back in, but I wasn't about to return any time soon.

I could only imagine what was up for us next. Two battles were done, and right now we were at a tie. There were just four more battles left. Judging by the even number of battles, we just had to win two more battles, and we would win the tournament. That was all we needed to do. Two more wins.

However, at what cost would those two wins reap? We all saw what happened today. Tomorrow was going to be like today. Whoever the two going tomorrow are, they're going to get hurt badly. Just what other tricks do those Merlo members have up their sleeves?

More importantly... how did Lluks know how to disengage Levi's Levi Volta and even turn it against him? Knowing our basic information was one thing, but knowing our attacks was something completely more dire. As well, if Lluks knew how to handle Levi's most powerful attack, then why couldn't Aero do the same with Bel's? Just how much did they know about us and where did they get this information from?

Could there be... a _mole_ in Varia?

That's ludicrous! The officers alone, we've known each other - at the very least - since the Cradle Affair. We may not exactly have the typical "friendly" relationship, but we trust each other enough. As well, if they were in Varia, they still wouldn't know about... my past. So it couldn't possibly be a Varia officer. It just couldn't.

When my frustration had overtaken the tranquility of the rain, I decided I should return to my room. It wasn't too late, in fact it was time for dinner. However I skipped the meal, especially noticing how the dining room was completely silent. I assumed from the chefs passing by with carts of covered food that Xanxus was eating in his room tonight. Lussuria would probably do the same, but Mammon probably wouldn't, it wasn't unusual for him to skip meals every now and then.

I tried to clear my mind once again when I got into the shower. However if real rain couldn't do the job, the shower wasn't going to do any better. It did relieve some of my physical exhaustion though, which I suppose would have to do for the time being. I grabbed a towel and opened the door between my bathroom and my bedroom.

"How the fuck did you get in here?" I yelled upon noticing the foreign presence that now sat on my bed.

"Squalo Superbi... You dropped your towel," the mask distorted voice spoke. I was well aware that my towel was on the floor and I did not need some kid to remind me.

"The towel or the blade. I made my choice. Now make yours. Should I split your head open to see if you even have a face? Or should I cut out your tongue so I don't have to hear your voice?" The moment I saw him there I grabbed for my sword, which was now pointed at the nose, or rather mask, of the stranger in my room.

"Hmm... preferably neither," Loreto spoke, in a humouring tone(1). I noticed afar that the window was open, so that was how he got in.

"Why have you come here? If you're here to take us on behind the Vongola's back, then you've just taken a suicide mission, scum," I stood strong, not letting my sword move from it's position. Neither of us moved, I kept my eyes on him, ready for his slightest movement.

"Invest some of your trust, Squalo Superbi, I mean you no harm," Loreto then proceeded to raise his hands up, to show he was unarmed. Had he truly come to kill me, he wouldn't have come without _something_ to kill me with. I lowered my sword, enough to make him feel a little less threatened, but still within range of a fatal attack.

"I am honoured to receive your trust, albeit little and covered with caution," Loreto started to speak with a humouring tone again, but when he continued his tone turned serious. "I am here to warn you, Squalo Superbi. You should just surrender before the wounds accumulate and become irreversible. You saw what had taken place today. Yes, our members had taken some damage, but as for yours... I can only wish them a chance at returning to the life of an assassin. You can end this now. Just give us your word and no more people will get hurt."

"How did you know about us?" I asked instead. "Everything. You knew about us, you knew about _some_ of our attacks, and you _knew about me_. Answer me before I paint my walls with your blood."

"Easy there," Loreto said with a steady tone which was quickly tossed aside with a scoff. "Now where's the fun in telling you who tipped us off? Come on Squalo Superbi, use your imagination. You do have one don't you?"

"Voi!" I thrust forward before he could continue with his taunting. Fuck the rules, he brought it on himself. Loreto was keen though and was able to dodge three of my thrusts. His last dodge was a jump over my bed. Damn! He was by the window!

"Well, it seems you truly have made your choice, so here is mine..." before I could jump over my bed he jumped through the window. That idiot! I scrambled over to the window and looked out. My room was nowhere close to the base level. If he jumped from this height he would have met his end and met the concrete, but there was nothing there. No body and no trace that he was ever in my room.

Did he survive? If he did, how?

I closed the window and locked it. Surrender? It's far too late to call it quits now. With two of us injured this much, there was no going back. Our pride was at stake.

I think it's about time I called it a day. There was just too much to take for one day. Just as I got to my bed I noticed something across from me. There taped to the frame of my painting was a slip of paper. It had to be Loreto, Belphegor wouldn't dare to touch the painting and no one else in the building cared for my belongings. I trudged over and took the paper off and inspected it. On the opposite side was a message:

"You should think about getting a haircut, you look cute with short hair."

- Loreto

"P.S. may I call you Jaws?"

* * *

Another day arose and we had swapped our grimness with preparation. We had to save sentiment for when sentiment was needed. On the battlefield, sentiment will only kill us. We all got to the Vongola base earlier this time to check on Belphegor and Leviathan. They told us that we could not go into their rooms, but we could watch from the window.

When we got there we held strong. Leviathan's injuries were much more serious, and the doctors were still working with his charred skin and his stitches. He was unconscious throughout the procedure. We couldn't stand there for long and soon we headed to Belphegor. He was lying on his stomach, his back was covered with towels, which I suppose made it easier on the eyes. Unlike Levi, he was awake and saw us through the window of his room. He weakly lift his hand as a sign of greeting, a toothy grin pulled his lips. Mammon was the only one to react, placing his own hand onto the glass surface of the window. After an awkward pause, we left the two to their silence.

Eventually Merlo had finally made it to the base, so it was time for us to get moving. We were lead by another Vongola agent back. It was time for the second day of battles, the third round of the tournament.

"So, without further ado..." Sawada concluded after a couple words that I didn't have the concern to register any of them. My attention was just focused on the screen as he blabbed on. We all, probably even Merlo and the Vongola, had the same thought coursing through our minds as the remaining battles shuffled about.

"Who's next?"

_Pioggia._

Rain.

Me.

"VOOII! Let's get going, trash!" I said as I snapped my sword to my left hand. Finally. It was finally my turn to go crazy! Bring forth the hopeless whelp who would receive the bite of my jaws!

My opponent was Vellalar who obediently followed my lead and walked up beside me. If I remember, Marcello had said he wasn't fluent in English. We stared at each other for a short moment, throwing our challenging threats and taunts through our expressions. Without a single word spoken out, the Vongola agent started to lead the way. Just as I was about to leave the room, I felt a tingle in my left arm, and quickly turned around.

I was met by the raging crimson eyes of my boss. Just like with Vellalar, there were no need for words. Only difference was we knew what the other was saying. _Don't lose__, trash_ he said. I replied back _I swear, Boss._

Hearing the agent urging me along, I turned away and walked back to the side of my opponent. If I was ready earlier, I was even more so now. Two battles resulting in severe injuries. I had seen them both and I knew I had to break the pattern. I was going to win and leave this battle on my own two feet, or die trying. I will not lose. Never.

We were outside again, but a different area from Leviathan's battle. The clouds from yesterday had yet to finish their downpour, but that only perfected the state for this battle. This vaguely reminded me of my battle with Tyr, I was outside, fighting in the rain, with a person who couldn't speak English, and I was going to win. The area we were to fight in was an open field. There was nowhere to hide, but everywhere to run(2). The terrain under our feet was soft and slick from the rain. So even if we did try to get some distance between us, we won't get too far when we will slip on the mud.

We were advised by the Vongola agent to be positioned somewhat far from each other. From what I could see, there was approximately ten meters between us when we were both in position. There was one thing I was sure of though, the previous battles were expected to have more severe injuries. Storm's aspect of disintegration and destruction, and Lightning's aspect of hardening. Rain's aspect on the other hand was tranquility, this battle was going to be a little less flashy than the previous two.

"3, 2, 1, GO!"

We were off. I didn't need to be reminded that I was actually at a disadvantage when it came to weapons. That mace of his was dangerous, and I needed to be careful, lest I wanted to wake up in one of the hospital rooms in the Vongola base. It seemed however, he chose to use his spear at me first.

From my basic knowledge of a spear, the best method of attack is in a thrust. Just like with a sword, or practically any weapon, a thrust was more difficult to dodge or shield, in comparison to a slash. I needed to get rid of that spear. The ten meters that were between us had shrunken, another few meters and we would clash. However, his spear was longer than my sword, so he was going to throw the first attack. Fine with me, but I wasn't just about to let him _land _the first attack.

At four meters, Vellalar sent his spear out to make its hit, but I was ready. Had it been any regular battle, I probably wouldn't have used this strategy, I would have just finished him with my sword, but this isn't any regular battle. I'll have to remember to thank that piece of trash Takeshi Yamamoto later.

Just before I made contact with his spear, I dropped down to the ground. With the momentum from the run added with the slickness of the terrain, I succeeded in sliding, feet first, towards Vellalar, right under his attack(3). Just before my foot caught with Vellalar, I covered the surface of my boot with Rain Flames. Once my boots touched Vellalar, not only did he trip over, but his feet wouldn't move for a while due to the flames robbing his strength and mobility. To finish my trick, I rolled out of the way before Vellar could fall over me. Once he was down, I took the opening and cut his spear to pieces. Had his spear been crafted with metal instead of wood, he would still have two weapons at his disposal.

I spotted a camera far off and gave it a grin, and allowed myself a little extra fun. "Voi! How's that for you, Yamamoto?"

When I turned back to Vellalar, his mace was in his hands. Looks like playtime was over, he was finally getting serious. Just as I had broken his weapon, he was going to break mine. With his immobility, I had a short opening to finish this battle, but not with that mace in his hand. Even if he didn't get my sword, the least he would hit would be my legs. A strong enough hit and I won't be leaving here on my feet, but I already knew how to solve that.

"Let's finish this!" I yelled and swung my sword, unleashing the explosives on the edge of my sword. Vellalar was definitely unprepared for that as the explosives attacked. The explosives were small, but they got me a valuable thing: my opponent's blindness. As the smoke rose around Vellalar, I charged in, sword slashing diagonally in front of me(4). It was time to end this.

Once I neared the smoke, I heard a sickening sound. Metal shattering like a porcelain plate hitting a tiled floor.

That fucking piece of trash saw right through me. He knew that with this wide opening I would attack him. So he just stayed put and kept his mace out for the moment I came. He didn't need to break my sword. He just waited for me to break it for him. But how did he know I was attack with this move specifically. I could have hit him from behind or with another move, how did he know I would choose this one?

With my weapon in pieces on the ground and the effects of the Rain Flames subsiding, Vellalar raised his mace and sent it smashing down on my right forearm.

"VVVOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Fuck! That fucking hurt!

I backed up, cradling my right arm from him. That fucking scum! He knew which fucking arm to fucking take out! Any wise guy would have aimed for my dominant arm, but he didn't. He aimed for the side that still had an arm!

"Give... up..." Vellalar struggled to say, and heavy accent glazed his words.

Give up? Oh, so that's what this was about...

"Hey trash," I spat out. "You tell that fucking brat of yours, that he still fucking owes me answers!"

With that I finished it. I wasn't a pro at throwing, but I had seen that Yamamoto brat throw a ball enough times to get a basic idea. I had hoped for it to hit his heart or an eye, so that he would be dead. Although my aim wasn't exactly topnotch, it still was enough to end the battle.

Embedded in Vellalar's right chest was the blade of his spear that I had slipped away from him.

"Mr. Superbi, do you need medical attention?"

"Voi! Just give me a sling and I'll be on my fucking way!"

* * *

"Squalo... I didn't expect you to come back," Sawada said when I had finally got back to the room. It was clear from his face that he really did not expect me to come back. No one in the room seemed to expect that. Not like it really mattered to me. I had worse welcomes before.

"Voi! Of course I'd be back! I can take a lot more than this!" I yelled. Before, when I struggled to make my way through he swarm of concerned Vongola agents, I stopped for a moment to allow them to inspect the injury. Upon looking at my own arm, I guess there was something wrong with it when there was a a large bump on my arm. It was too big to be a bruise and it hurt way more than one too. The agent said it was a closed fracture, or something like that. Basically, that blow to the forearm was strong enough to break my bone straight through. She urged me to let her at least give me some first aid. I sighed and allowed that much. When I get back to the base, I'll have one of the agents in Varia to get me fitted with a cast or something.

It didn't take too long, which was much appreciated. She was good though, although I could tell she was intimidated by me. I didn't exactly had the kind of "friendly" face that would attract young women of her age. She kept relatively silent, unless she instructed me to "hold my arm" or "lift my arm gently" or to ask me "is this too tight?" She first started by splinting my forearm, to immobilize my injured limb. Then she took a large triangular piece of fabric and slung my arm so I wouldn't move it. Then over my injury she placed a cloth and then an ice pack. Before I was allowed to leave she told me to keep the ice on for fifteen minutes, and then fifteen minutes off.

So now I was back in the room, standing beside Mammon and Xanxus. While I was getting my arm looked at, they had already chosen the Sun battle to be next. In fact, the battle had already started when I finally looked up to the screen.

"You're late, scum," Xanxus muttered to me.

"Well, sorry," I muttered back. It wasn't the first time I had received such a kind welcoming from the boss after I had been seriously injured(5). Although this time, I won.

"Lussuria said congratulations on your victory and that he'll be back soon," Mammon spoke out, catching my attention. I allowed myself to break into a smile. It was just like Lussuria to say stupid things like that.

I then returned my attention to the screen. It was Lussuria versus the short man named Root Valerian. From what I could see, the rain had finally stopped, and the sun began to pierce through the clouds. As for their battlefield? The two were fighting on the roof of the Vongola base. Well, if that wasn't the best choice for a battlefield, I don't know what is.

So... the battle had already started... but why weren't they moving?

* * *

**(Lussuria)**

I had lost track of time. I don't know how long I had been holding my position for. I have no idea what was going on. A while ago, before the battle had started, we saw that Squ had won his battle. I couldn't help but smile at the craftiness of his final shot. Even without his sword, he wasn't about to go down.

Varia Quality at its finest.

Shortly after watching the finishing blow, the screen went black and it was back to the picking of the next battle. It was tough enough watching the same thing happen to Bel and Levi. Now Squ was plaguing my mind with worry. He didn't look as injured as Bel and Levi were though. So maybe he'd come back and we'd see each other. That would be good. It would put my mind at a little more ease.

But the strings of fate have a very cruel sense of humour when the next battle was chosen.

_Sereno._

Sun.

I sighed but kept my smile on my face. It looks like it will be a while until I get to see Squ again. No matter. I passed on a message for Squ to Mammon. Then without further ado, I walked over to the Vongola agent along with my opponent, Root I believe his name was.

Oh, wait for me, my Squalo, Big Sis Lussuria will take care of this youngster, and we will meet, I tried to send him a mental message, although I doubt he would hear it. Even if he did, he would probably react stubbornly.

So now here we were on the rooftop of the Vongola base, I hadn't moved and neither had he. Geez, how boring~ If he wasn't going to make a move, then he must obviously be waiting for me to make it first. Hmph! Making me wait like this, how ungentlemanly!

I took the initiative and went in to make my mark.

* * *

**(Squalo)**

It was obvious Root wanted Lussuria to make the first move, and judging by the time that had elapsed since the battle begun, he was adamant towards his decision. Sure it was a risk, but I had to agree to Lussuria's decision to take it.

Marcello did mention something about Root, he never sleeps, but waits for his targets to come for him.

I didn't doubt Lussuria's abilities though. The aspect of the Sun Flame was activation through stimulating and augmenting. To many, the Sun Flame was just for healing, but it's properties were much more than that. It's aspect could turn a scrawny recruit into a super soldier(6). Lussuria, being a body building champion and a master in Muay Thai, with the added effects of his flame, summed up to a inhumanly strong officer of Varia.

Plus, he had recently created a new strategy, and if my theory was right... Merlo wouldn't see it coming.

* * *

**(Lussuria)**

I surrounded him with my best footwork. That certainly put him on the edge. I could see his eyes darting about, trying to spot me, trying to see where I would attack first. Too bad for him though. He won't find me out!

I finally approached him straight-on. From his stance, he was expecting me to appear from behind, so I surprised him by appearing from the front. First, a diagonal kick, too low for him to see, swinging in from the outside, to collide with his shin. Second, a horizontal elbow hit, high enough to hit his right ear and strong enough to send his senses swirling. Third, a straight knee strike right to his chest to force the air right out of him. Fourth, with his head down from that last blow, an uppercut right to his jaw.

"The Art of Eight Limbs" that is what Muay Thai is. A hand-to-hand fighting style consisting of punches, kicks, elbows, and knee strikes. However, specifically for me, each blow is added with the blunt surface of metal. After that battle with Ryohei Sasagawa, I had realized the flaw with my metal knee. Once it was gone, I had basically defenseless. So I made more. Each limb required in my battle style was reinforced with metal, not only as a defense measure, but to augment the power of the blow, just like the aspect of the Sun Flame(7).

"Oh look, are you already done? That was hardly any fun~" I said when I backed up. It was obvious that my attacks had done some serious damage to his body. His left foot could not hold up his body. His breathing was rugged and uneven, I probably broke a couple ribs, which were now probably poking at his lungs. He just stared at me as he relocated his jaw back to his face.

Well... that was attractive.

"You wound me," he spoke roughly. Before I could thank him for stating the obvious, he continued, "...for entering this battle without a true weapon... You're going to regret that decision."

"Oh~ Mr. Big Talk now, are you? Just lie down and accept defeat!" I rushed over to him for another attack. I heard a cute grunt escape his vocal chords before he took out his sickle. Ha! This was just pitiful.

I rose my leg and sent it rocketing down, heel first, in an axe kick formation. With the metal plating on my boot added with the force of the descent, the attack was enough to break his little toy.

Ha! He dared to talk about true weapons, when there on the ground were the remnants on his "true weapon." My body is my weapon! I don't require ugly tools to kill people! My arms were my guns, my elbows were my blades(8), my legs were my axes, my knees were my mace. With my body alone, I wield eight weapons! I do not put faith in breakable things like guns or swords. I put faith in the one thing I know I control: my body! My soul! My sun!

"Are we done playing, now? Are you ready to become a part of my collection?"

"Damn..." my opponent spoke, with a hint of surprise in his voice. "We weren't told about the _other_ metal plates..." Then a smile appeared on his face. "Interesting... looks like playtime really is over... I didn't think I would have to bring this out ever again... but I'll make an exception... just... for... _you_."

I saw him reach into his jacket and pull out his next weapon. A whip.

"A shame it is really, I was hoping to see you body covered in cuts after this battle... but don't worry... you'll look just as good with some rope burns over your abs," Root smiled and threateningly cracked his whip.

"And you will look lovely with a little less colour in your skin, slowly decaying and cold~" Playtime was finally over. Lovely.

I rushed in and surrounded him again. I would get him again.

Then there was a chuckle, "Not this time..." The whip sounded another crack, and found me. I wasn't hurt, but I was caught amidst the tangles of the whip. He pulled me in, closer to him.

Big mistake. I began to throw punches and elbow hits to his face. He had given this opening to inflict beautiful damage to his weak points. The fool.

"Hey... tell... me... some-... thing..." he spoke out words between taking hits to his face. "How... much... do... you... weigh...?"

Excuse me?

Rude! There's two things you never ask me: my age and my weight!

I began to charge up for the finisher, just when he started yelling. His sudden exclaiming caught me off guard.

Then I felt myself being lifted. The wind flew past me, not even turning around to stop me as I zipped past. Images past through my eyes. The medals I won from my bodybuilding days, meeting Xanxus and joining Varia, the Cradle Affair, the return of our boss, fighting with the Vongola kids, filming Squ's sword battles, saving our world from Byakuran, then each and every officer of Varia.

Is this it? My body is going to be beautiful(9)?

I smiled.

Sorry Squ... looks like you'll have to wait a little longer...

* * *

Niko: Cliffhanger again! (Sorry...!)

Oh my gosh, I loved writing under Lussuria's point of view. It's sort of a mixture of playfulness, the tone of a middle-aged woman, a hint of sadism and necrophilia, and flamboyant pride. It's definitely a nice change to write in such a unique perspective!

**Notes:**

1. This scenario with the towel dropping and the stranger in the bed chambers is actually entirely inspired by this scan of a comic I saw online (with a young Loki and a bare Lady Sif)

2. Hey doesn't that sound familiar? (*cough* Requiem of Rain chapter 3 *cough*)

3. This is basically the slide baseball players do to make it to the base.

4. This is Scontro di Squalo "Charge of the Shark"

5. This is basically a mirror of what happened in the manga (**SPOILERS:** in the Future Final Battle Arc, when Dino reunites an injured Squalo to Varia, their short conversation they have then is the same one they have here)

6. Reference to Captain America (by the way, I totally can't wait for the sequel!)

7. This is totally not canon, the extra metal plates were my idea entirely. Just to be clear. I came up with it during my research (which involved watching Lussuria in his various battles and researching the basics of Muay Thai). After finding the flaw in Lussuria's fight with Ryohei and the fact about Muay Thai involving "eight limbs of the body" I decided to arm Lussuria with metal plates on each limb.

8. During my research of Muay Thai, apparently, rules are places to restrict the use of elbows, due to the **cuts** they leave. So this line is a pun.

9. A reminder that Lussuria's idea of beauty is: (directly from "IL SOLE" his character song) "The unmovable body that rot away and cold, The ultimate physical beauty, My ideal."

*Continuing with the explanation with the puns in the names of the Merlo members: Vellalar is a Tamil name for "ruler of the spear," the spear being his first weapon of choice (it's also interesting to note that the "ruler of the spear" battles with the "Second Sword Emperor" eh?). Root Valerian is a little more obvious to people who know their plants and herbs. The Valerian root is a herb that possesses sedative effects, and it is often used for those with insomnia, which Root suffers from (notice that Marcello sort of mentions this when he introduces Root in the second chapter).

Oh gosh, I am on fire! I absolutely love how smoothly this is all going so far! Well then, see you all next time with the the next chapter, which by the way has another surprise!

Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a review!


	5. Internal Agony of the Mistfilled Mind

Niko: Hey! Hey! Hey!

This is the surprise for this chapter! To celebrate the _2_ year anniversary of my return to FanFiction and the publishing of **Requiem of Rain**:_ two chapters_ for you to enjoy today!

Before we start I want to give a special thanks to **yuki-1107**! Back when I was writing **Requiem of Rain** I had little to no idea where the story was headed when I first started. I'll just wing it, I thought. So the things that unfolded, for the most part, were all sort of sporadic, but it was yuki-1107 who noticed something in Squalo's statements. It's thanks to yuki-1107 for the beginning part of this chapter! Thank you!

And just a heads-up for this chapter: It get's a bit... descriptive and graphic, so viewer discretion is advised.

So then, let's continue on with the story.

**I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!**

* * *

**Internal Agony of the Mist-filled Mind  
**

Lussuria was...

...alive...

That much was for sure. With the whip lassoed around him, Root flung him over the side of the roof. Lussuria realized it quickly enough to protect his body with Sun Flames before he finally hit the ground. Even with the augmented protection, he still sustained some damage, but he wasn't dead. He wasn't.

This time the screen didn't fade to black when the battle was over, as per Sawada's instruction. The screen switched to a shaky camera on the ground level of the Vongola base, obviously being held in the panicked grip of a Vongola agent. I had my eyes glued to the screen when the agents got to Lussuria and one checked for a pulse. He was alive, but he was knocked out cold. Just before the screen blacked out, we watched as Lussuria was taken away on a stretcher.

Xanxus left early, while Mammon and I stayed to visit our wounded. Leviathan was still sedated, and now the doctors were working on the stitches. From what I could see, he had dark scars on his face. We were allowed into Belphegor's room finally. He was still laying on his stomach, with freshly damp towels over his back. He smiled when we entered.

"Ushishishi... nice armour there," Bel chuckled at the sight of me and my useless right arm.

"Nice to know your sense of humour is still intact," I smirked back.

Belphegor showed us the television screen where he watched our battles. Once the jokes were done, his smile disappeared and he asked us how Leviathan and Lussuria were. We listed to him everything that we knew. His smile didn't come back.

I eventually left Belphegor with Mammon to find Lussuria's room. The nurse there allowed me to enter his room and updated me on his status. He still hadn't woken up, but his vitals were now stable. He wasn't in a coma, fortunately. The nurse said it was his flames that saved him in the end. The very strength and brilliance of his dying will saved him from death. This over exertion however resulted in much needed rest in order to regenerate the energy he had used up. The nurse said that he should be up sometime later tomorrow at the earliest. Out of all of us, Lussuria had received the least amount of damage.

I asked the nurse to keep a note for him until he woke up. A note which I scrawled:

"I'm waiting, you idiot."

* * *

So what was I doing now? Well, I've completely lost count of how many times I did something I told myself I never to do. Let's list a few that I can remember right now: grow my hair out, lose a battle, train another idiot, allow an idiot to teach me something, learn the basics of baseball, and various other idiotic things I regret ever spending moments of my life in doing.

"I was sort of surprised when you agreed when I offered to take you out for dinner!"

"Because I've lost control of my life," I grumbled at the smiling child of a man who sat in front of me. "VOI! And what do you mean 'take me out?' I only agreed to this because I was hungry for the raw flesh of fish and you were paying for the meal, baseball idiot!"(1)

"Ha ha, sure thing, Squalo," Yamamoto laughed my insults off. It didn't matter how much time elapsed. He was still an oblivious idiot who shook off insults like friendly remarks. I mean really! How does one become a part of the mafia for so long and not even know he's in the mafia? I am just an idiot magnet, aren't I? Well I caught myself the biggest idiot in the history of idiocy!

So what had happened was that I had left Lussuria's room and while on my way to leave the Vongola base I saw Yamamoto. As usual, I tried to find another way out of the base, but I knew it was pointless when I heard my name being called out in that usual bright tone. He then approached me and then offered to pay for dinner. I should have known beforehand that he was going to take me to a sushi restaurant, but I didn't care. I was hungry and he was offering. I'll look back and regret this decision later.

"What did the doctors say about your arm?" Yamamoto asked as we waited for our food, assuming that I had gone to the doctors.

"Closed fracture or something, I'll have one of the Varia doctors fit me in a cast, but it's no big deal," I responded, but I lied. My arm _was_ a big deal. It was another sign of just how much Merlo knew about Varia and me.

"That was a good slide and throw back there in your battle," Yamamoto spoke again. "It's good to know my lessons are helping."

"Voi! It was not your lessons! I simply dodged his attack and it looked like a slide! The throw was just my interpretation of Belphegor! Don't get your hopes up, trash!" I was appalled that he saw through me though. A few feet away, one of the waiters of the restaurant asked us to be quiet. I sighed and muttered, "Thanks though..."

"No problem," Yamamoto smiled then stared at my left hand. "What about your sword? You broke it in your battle today..."

"Nothing to worry about," I said, although it still pissed me off, the fact that Vellalar had gotten me to break my own sword. "It was custom made but it's not the only one. I have spares back at the base."

Before Yamamoto could attempt to further break the ice, a waiter came and placed some of our orders onto our table. Finally! I'm starved! Even if it's sushi, I just want to eat.

"Hmm, they just don't make sushi like they do in Japan," I heard Yamamoto speak as he took his first bite. Hmm... if this place wasn't all-you-can-eat, I would have considered taking out some for Belphegor, it was his favourite food after all. Then again, I'm not sure if it was a safe idea to deter him from his regulated hospital diet. Oh well, nothing I can do about that.

Amidst our meal, Yamamoto would still bring up conversation. I had long gotten used to it. He would ask how Varia was doing or how the injured officers were. I knew that he cared, he was just the kind of person to care for anybody and everybody. He cared... so maybe...?

"Takeshi," I said finally, calling him out by his first name. "Don't you find Merlo to be a little... peculiar?"

"Hm? How so?" He asked, although I had expected him to respond that way.

"Their knowledge about us. They know... _too_ much for normal standards. In Leviathan's battle, they knew exactly what attack Levi would attack with and they knew exactly what would divert his _certain kill_ blow. In my battle, they knew which attack I would use and they knew which of my arms to injure. Think about Takeshi, just think, a normal _assassin_ would go for the dominant arm, the side with the sword, _my left_, but he when for my _right_. In Lussuria's battle, he even said that he wasn't _told_ about Lussuria's other metal plates. Do you see how fucked up this is?"

"I see, Squalo, but understand that they could have just been tipped off by one of your previous enemies..."

"_What_ previous enemies? They're all _dead_," I interrupted him before he could continue to spew ridiculous blabber. I couldn't believe he would actually answer with that. "And don't you dare say that one slipped away from us, because that is impossible and you of all people know it."

"Alright... alright Squalo, you're right, it does seem really odd, but what can we do about it now? They already know, and I'm sure they'll still know tomorrow," he agreed and that was all I needed. I needed to know he believed me.

"Just... watch out for them, because they're not to be trusted, Takeshi," I told him, looking straight at his eyes. "Tell the rest as well, there is more to Merlo than we know and that on its own is a threat, not only to Varia but to Vongola as well."

"I understand Squalo, but... there's another reason behind this, isn't there?" Once again, he saw right through me. "You don't take threats like this. You would normally handle it on your own, you wouldn't turn to anyone, especially not Vongola, for help. What's wrong?"

I sighed. "I guess you aren't as big as an idiot as I thought..." I turned my head away and tried to work out the words in my mind before coming out with it. "They know about me, Takeshi, and that is what is wrong. If it were facts like my title as Second Sword Emperor or the fact that I'm second-in-command of Varia I wouldn't care. But they mentioned that they _knew my past_. It was further proven when one of them actually got into my room last night and when I was injured. Not even the officers of Varia know about my past, Takeshi, no one is supposed to know. Yet somehow, _someone_ has leaked it out to Merlo like high school gossip, and I don't know who that could be. So... that's why this is so urgent to me."

There was a moment of silence between us. I just sat there, waiting for his response.

"I believe you, Squalo."

And that was all I needed.

* * *

It didn't really surprise any of us.

A new day came and we all knew who was left and what the situation was. With two wins: mine and Belphegor's, and two losses: Leviathan's and Lussuria's, the tie was still standing in our way from victory. With and even numbers of battles left, the Sky battle and the Mist battle, there only really needed to be one battle to decide the victors.

Today was the end of this tournament. The last battle that would determine the outcome. We just needed one win and it would be all over. Once we had won, we would kill each of the Merlo members for their knowledge. No one should know the amount of information they knew. They could take their secrets to the grave, I just wanted them gone.

So it really didn't surprise any of us when the final battle was displayed on the screen.

_Nebbia._

Mist.

We didn't need to remind Mammon just how much was at stake. He didn't care. He silently walked over to the Vongola agent, traded stares with Hou Po, and the two walked off away together. We didn't need to remind Mammon to win, because he already knew. He didn't need payment of any sort, because this was not a mission or a job.

This was _personal_.

* * *

**(Mammon)**

"So you and Boss are left?" Belphegor asked me after Squalo had left us. I nodded silently. I had long taken a chair and was seated beside Belphegor's hospital bed. His smile had returned, which was nice to see. It made me overlook the fact that he was still recovering from second degree burns that consumed half of his body.

After a brief moment of silence, he spoke again, "Oh, on the other side of the bed there should be a bottle of strawberry milk. The food here is nasty and unfit for a Prince. They brought me one of those as well. I saved it for you though, since I know you like that swill."

When I stood up and checked, I found that it was true. I picked up the small pink bottle and sat back down into my seat thanking him. Belphegor never shared my taste for strawberry milk, perhaps because I am physically younger than he is. He preferred cola, but the bubbly sensation always irritated my throat.

He continued to rant about how he hated the place from its food to its faculty. His words however seemed to mix together when I put my attention to opening the bottle. I remember before I was unable to open these things. Belphegor would laugh at my pitiful stature and take the bottle from my hands before opening it and returning it to me.

I tore open the seal and brought the bottle to my lips, still hearing Belphegor, now talking about how he really wanted to lay on his back and just how many times his body went numb from staying in the same position for so long. The creamy strawberry taste tickled my taste buds as I remembered the first time I drank strawberry milk.

It was one of our first missions together, Belphegor and I. After accomplishing the deed, instead of heading back to the base, Belphegor pulled me off to an amusement park. Against my better judgement, I followed him as we snuck our way in. Since the two of us were too young, we couldn't go on all the rides. Our favourite one was the carousel. We rode on one of the brightly painted horses together. We left eventually but before we returned to the base, Belphegor took me to "one last stop" at a sushi restaurant. It was there that I was given the strawberry milk from the waiter, who though an infant shouldn't be eating raw fish. That was over ten years ago.

"Mammon...? You're getting that swill all over your...!"

It was then I noticed the lukewarm trickle of strawberry milk run down my chin. I was too busy being ashamed of the other trickle of fluid that ran down my cheeks.

"Mammon..."

But that was all yesterday. That was past and now was the present to do with as I pleased. Merlo will regret the very thought of ever challenging Varia. I will teach them, starting with this one, my ability.

Come to me, Merlo, and I will show you what fears are made of.

"3, 2, 1, GO!"

Let me show you _my world_.

* * *

**(Squalo)**

Our numbers dwindled now, both of ours. Now in the room, besides the Vongola brats, were a limited number of members from both teams. In Merlo, there was Marcello and Loreto. In Varia, there was Boss and me. In both teams, just the leader and the second-in-command now stood and watched fervently at the screen as the battle begun.

The Mist battle was held in what looked like an auditorium in the Vongola base. It was a very nice piece of work, but I guess it wasn't too important if the Vongola were placing a battle there. There was plenty of room for movement, although these two probably wouldn't be needing too much of it. The physical world mattered very little in a battle of illusions.

Like all the other officers of Varia, I did not doubt Mammon's abilities. However, I had no idea just how much these past days had affected him. He had ceased eating completely. Whenever we were in the Varia base, he would lock himself in his room, never answering or opening to the door for anyone or anything. When we were in the Vongola base, before and after the battles, he would be with Belphegor.

I just hoped Mammon knew what he was doing.

* * *

**(Mammon)**

The secret to illusions?

Control.

How much control you have on your perceptions? How much control you have on your mind? How much control you have on your opponents' minds? How much control you have on your sentiments? How much control you have on your existence? Control was everything when working with illusions. One mistake could be the end of you. Control was key.

So when this one made the first move, I saw right through it. The trick is to know when to believe in your senses. For all you know, your entire life could be an illusion. Every day of your "existence" could be an entire lie, and you wouldn't even know it. Why? Because people don't know how to control their senses.

Like now, he has turned the ground we stood on to a pool of snakes(2). What did I see? A pool a snakes. However that makes no sense. We were standing on the stage of the auditorium a moment ago. The disappearance of the wooden flooring and the appearance of snakes is completely illogical. Thus this must be an illusion. The moment you regain control of your surroundings, is the moment the other illusion fails to affect you.

Think of it like a dream. How do you know you're dreaming or not? Even in dreams you are liable to feel pain and emotions. Who is to say your entire life is not a dream controlled by a mighty puppeteer(3)?

Simple: dreams defy logic and so do ill-planned illusions.

"Are you done with this little trick?" I asked. Even with the snakes there, there was a clearing around me. It was just to show how the illusion had no effect on me. I was in complete control of my senses.

"Oh, I was just testing to see if you're truly as good as they say~" this one spoke with a smile on his face. "I'm much impressed, Arcobaleno, you are truly worthy of your accolades."

"Quite," I responded back, before the sound of rushing water came in. The doors of the auditorium ripped open and from every orifice came rushing waves of water. In mere seconds, the auditorium began to fill with icy cold water(4). The snakes died off in an instant.

"Now what's this? You're not just going to entertain me with magic tricks are you?" Hou Po chortled, completely unfazed by the freezing water surrounding him.

"No I simply wanted to see you reaction. Amusing how you gave those snakes a logically death." He nearly got me there. When you apply logic with illusions, they become more difficult to see through, because it makes sense. Snakes being cold blooded, are weak to cold temperatures. It would only made sense if they were taken out by the icy waters. However, since I knew my own illusion and I knew his, I knew that that was just another illusion in an illusion(5).

"Enough of these silly games then..." Suddenly the lights went out. This had to be another illusion, unless the Vongola had forgotten to pay the electricity bill, which was unlikely yet probable.

"Indeed, Fantasma?" I did not need anymore distractions. Illusions are tricky that way. The physical world, the _real_ world, can become a distraction or it can be an anchor to bring you back to your senses. I never took the risk though. With Fantasma above me, I could float. So it mattered not what came at me. As long as I remember: "I am Esper Mammon of Varia. I am an illusionist. I am floating in an empty auditorium."

A good method of not losing your mind is to keep it intact.

Below me from the darkness came a red glow. Sight again? If this one was just going to play on sight alone I was going to have an easier time with this than I thought. But... what's that smell? Smoke? Yes, but it was far more repugnant from your typical smoke smell. Not... this was... Brimstone(6).

Smells were the hardest to create. Sight was the easiest, then touch and sound, but taste and smell were the most difficult because their were intertwined. Your sense of taste dulls without smell, and your sense of smell dulls without taste.

Oh he was good. Suddenly I felt a grip on my cloak before I was pulled forward. I was met face-to-face with my opponent.

"How do you like it?"

"Nice touch with the smell," I remarked.

"Hm yes, it's just as I remember it..." What? He was basing all this on a memory? That fool! Memories and illusions should never meet. The illusionists themselves could be caught in their own snare, forever living out their memory. "Welcome to my world, little one, let me give you a little history lesson of my hometown..."

Around us the brimstone disappeared to show what looked like a highly populated city, a capital probably. However, from the state of the place, it looked to be several years in the past, perhaps more.

"Years and years ago, that was when the war broke out," he spoke cheerfully. "But years before the _official_ start of war, was when my hometown was invaded. At first the people thought it was because of the enemy country's hunt for raw materials, but we were gravely wrong."

Suddenly the city broke into chaos. Fires erupted, people ran and screamed as the invaders charged in. I watched as people, men, women, children, were all attacked without mercy. I was used to seeing such gore from being in Varia, such visions did not phase me in the least. If this was all he was going to show me, he might as well give up now.

"People, men and _women_," in his grasp I felt a slight tingle course through my body. He had changed my body to that of a woman's. I will not stand for this humility! "... were tortured! Not just with guns or blades, but in every method imaginable!" Then in his hand appeared something. A rat. Without warning he shoved the rodent down my throat(7). I gasped at the realism, the feel of the fur and the struggle of the animal. It was too real! He continued with another. I held back my tears with every animal forced down my throat.

"Soldiers of our country were not taken as slaves... it was kill, kill, KILL!" With the affects of the first assault still clogging my senses, I was unable to foresee the following one. I felt a sharp pain as the teeth of saws chewed at my joints. I couldn't take it, I let out a scream as my nerves registered the pain to my brain. One by one I felt each of my limbs fall to the ground(8). I was alive but I was breaking.

"It all happened! All of this! But. No. One. Ever. CAME! We suffered! And no one CARED!" His smile and cheery tone disappeared, it was all replaced with malice and hatred.

Sentiment...

This was my chance! Steeling my senses I summoned an illusion. I know what makes him tick now.

"What?" My opponent before me transformed into a young child. Beside him, two uniformed men grabbed his arms and began hauling him away. "No! No! NO!" He screamed and thrashed. He had brought his memory out, he had shown me just what made him angry and fearful, so now I turned it all against him. He would be locked within his own nightmare of his memories.

"You _avaricious_ little shit! Burn in Hell like your little Prince!" He taunted pointlessly as he was strung up to one of two large wheels, both with turned in opposite directions, aiding the other in movement, like gears. The wheel he was one turned and turned until he was crushed at the point between both wheels(9).

It... it was over. I had... no... No!

This was what he meant before. I screamed with pain as boiling hot oil, which had appeared below me, scorched my skin(10). Before I knew it, the surface below me was gone and I fell right into the scorching liquid. It... it hurts. It hurts so much! My skin was burning... Burning... Belphegor! Is this what Belphegor felt? Belphegor!

It... was over.

* * *

**(Squalo)**

The cameras switched off finally and the screen went black. Never had I seen such strong illusions. Had we been in the vicinity of the battle, we would sure have been engulfed by those terrors. We were all silent, but it was clear that all of us were thoroughly terrified in some way or another. I had seen a lot in my life, but Mammon and Hou Po had truly shown what _true_ nightmares look like, and just what they could do to a person.

The screen returned with the result.

"VOOOII! What the fuck do you mean _tie_?" I was outraged. I would not let Mammon's clear victory be insulted like this. He had taken so much... and not just him, we all have. Belphegor, Leviathan, Lussuria, Mammon, Me, Xanxus! Whether it be physical wounds or mental grief, we all suffered! This was like spitting on our pride!

"The battle has been decided as a tie, Squalo," Sawada spoke to me calmly, but I wasn't going to just fucking take it.

"Mammon clearly landed the hit on Hou Po first! Hou Po was crushed _first_! Which means: Mammon won!"

"Don't you overlook Hou Po's last attack!" a muffled, yet equally disgraced voice erupted after mine. "It was Hou Po's attack that showed he could still fight! He landed the last hit that _finished_ Mammon! Hou Po is the _true_ victor!"

"Squalo! Loreto! The battle has been decided as a tie," Sawada's voice came back with a layer of firmness. "Just as Hou Po sent out his final illusion and just as Mammon was engulfed in it, both of them went out! Hou Po from overexertion and Mammon from the affects of the illusion! Both of them fainted and are now in severe conditions! Thus this battle is a tie!"

Unbelievable.

"Now, for the final battle..."

I felt my left arm throb with pain(11).

"I won't fucking accept it!" I roared and pointed my blade at Loreto. "If that blade of yours isn't just for show, I'd like to see it in action, trash! One last round. One battle between swordsmen, till first blood!"

"Trash! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Xanxus growled behind me and threw his glass at me as usual. At the moment, I wasn't sure if he was enraged at the fact I was trying to take away his battle or if he was genuinely worried for me. However, at the moment, I didn't really care. I didn't care about the liquor that ran down my uniform. I didn't care if he was angry. I didn't care if he was worried. My left arm never lied to me, not then and not now! If it was for the Boss's life, I would take on a thousand more Merlos.

I looked over to Takeshi. Believe me. You of all people. That's all I need. Just once more. For me.

"Give us half an hour to discuss this... change in the plans," Sawada spoke and the remaining members of Varia and Merlo left the room with five Vongola agents watching over us to make sure we didn't start fighting in the hallways. It was hard though. Their audience just made it so tempting to start a riot.

"You dare interrupt my leader's battle for your own blood lust?" Loreto leaned in close to me, but not close enough for the Vongola agents to get between us.

"Oh no, I was just worried you'd get fucking bored on the sidelines all this time," I stared him down. He was short and a brat. He had no idea what the mafia was like and like hell I was going to lose to a child like him! I leaned it a little closer to get the Vongola agents on edge. "You asked me to make my choice, so here it fucking is, scum! Now what's your answer?"

The mask that veiled Loreto's eyes just kept smiling at me, although I imagined that he was now scrunching up his face in frustration and contempt.

So what was her response?

She just whistled back, but it wasn't just a regular whistle.

It was a blackbird calling(12).

* * *

Niko: Oh! Looks like it isn't over just yet! We don't have a clear winner yet, so there needs to be one more round, one more battle. Which is it going to be? Will the leaders of the sky retaliate for their wounded or will the swordsmen decide with their blades the outcome of this tournament?

**Notes:**

*First is the title: it's a pun again! It actually a parody of the title of the movie: **Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind**. I just thought it would be appropriate.

1. Squalo's tsundere is showing.

2. So I think some of you will catch this eventually, but just in case some of you haven't, the illusions that Mammon and Hou Po create are all the punishments for the seven deadly sins (wrath, pride, envy, sloth, greed, lust, and gluttony), which is a theme that seems to be with all the Varia members. This first one is the punishment for Sloth (Belphegor by the way)

3. I am totally manifesting everything I learned in Philosophy class into this. We're getting all **Matrix **up in here!

4. This is the punishment for Envy (Leviathan by the way)

5. **INCEPTION**!

6. This is the punishment for Lust (Lussuria by the way)

7. Ugh... sorry, but this story just got rated M... this punishment is for Gluttony (which is actually supposed to be Gola Mosca)

8. This is the punishment for Wrath (Xanxus by the way)

9. This is the punishment for Pride (Squalo by the way)

10. And... this is the punishment for Greed (sorry Mammon...)

11. So here's this cool thing I learned after finishing Requiem of Rain, I found out that Squalo's left limb actually aches when Xanxus is in life-threatening danger (I had been hinting it in some of the earlier chapters of **BREAK OUT**, but I didn't know about it until I started writing** BREAK OUT**...)

12. Does anyone remember what a blackbird's call mean? (it was stated in **Requiem of Rain**~) It's okay. A blackbird call is a warning of danger.

*Last Merlo name pun! Hou Po's is the one that's the most difficult, because I left the vaguest clues (since nothing really fit with the storyline). So "Hou Po" is Magnolia Bark, which is a Chinese Herbal Medicine (I remind you that Hou Po was an exiled member of the Chinese mafia). Magnolia Bark can be used to reduce allergic and asthmatic reactions, which (ironically) Hou Po suffers from (in my original story, he has asthma and suffers from various allergies)

Whew! Two chapters and the tournament is almost done! All this writing feels good. The next chapter will return at the usual scheduled time/date.

Once again, I'd like to thank all the readers once again for reading and sticking with me!  
THANK YOU!


	6. Burns and Cuts Will Never Break Me

Niko: Alright, here we are, the anticipated conclusion of the tournament between Varia and Merlo.

Let's see how it all unravels!

**I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!**

* * *

**Burns and Cuts Will Never Break Me  
**

Although they had asked for half an hour, it wasn't long before we were called back into the room.

While we had waited, the Vongola agents had eventually split us all up. Me from Loreto, Xanxus and Marcello from each other, and Xanxus from me. We were all on short fuses the four of us, in one way or another. Xanxus and Marcello were itching to tear each other apart. However, Xanxus wanted at me for trying to take away his fight. Loreto didn't sound as if he was angered, but I could tell he wasn't at all delighted at me and my demands. I didn't care if my right arm was in a cast, all I knew what that my left arm throbbed, that was reason enough to fight.

Now it was judgement day.

"We have decided... unanimously," Sawada added, although there sounded to be some strain in his voice, as if the decision was still unstable. "For the battle between the swordsmen of Varia and Merlo to take place. The rules of this duel will be to first blood or surrender, dying will flames are permitted and... Box Animals shall also be permitted for this round. An agent will take you two to your battle destination."

That was it then.

A Vongola agent walked over to lead us. Just before I could take the first step forward, I felt another glass collide with my head. The liquor streamed down my hair then over my uniform. I turned around to face my Boss once again. His eyes screamed bloody murder at me, but I knew what I was doing.

"The fuck do you think you're doing...?" Xanxus muttered at me, each word came out. From his eyes alone I could feel his rage.

"Saving you," I whispered back and turned away.

Forgive me this once, Xanxus, and trust me.

I followed the Vongola agent that took me and Loreto outside of the Vongola base. I lost track of time as we continued on, it looks like our battlefield was going to be pretty far. I just hoped that back at the Vongola base that Xanxus hadn't already filled Marcello up with bullets. Although, since I wasn't feeling anything from my left limb, I guess he hasn't done anything stupid... yet.

It was when I heard the sounds of waves crashing that I looked up. Just as I thought. We were at a beach(1). Tracing back to the deepest recesses of my memories, I was a ten year old child again. I lived in a small village that was close to the waterfront. It was always lively and bustling with sounds and sights. There were the odd storekeepers, some who were strict and some who were weird(2).

In an instant, I forgot all about the battle. Right now I saw myself as a child running around the beach with my best friend Keith. The sky was blue without a single cloud in the sky and the sun shone flamboyantly down on us. The white sand we ran over was hot for our bare feet but it was cool and darker underneath. Then we were splashing amongst the waves without a care in the world. Then the smells came rushing in, the salt of the sea, fried foods, sunscreen, cold desserts

This was my life...

Long ago, this was my life, but it was a lie. I was lying to myself every time I brought a smile to my face. Every time I believed that things were alright, I lied to myself, because I knew. I knew that things weren't alright.

I knew I was lying to myself now by remembering this. There is no going back, no matter how good it looks, it's a lie.

"Nostalgic isn't it?" I heard Loreto speak. Memories aside, I turned to look at him. He didn't look back though, he just let out a sigh and stared out to the vast sea before us. "Not sure if it is for you, but... the beach takes me back to the days when I... when I first felt like I was alive..."

The Vongola agent positioned us close, there was probably less than four meters of space between us.

"3, 2, 1, GO!" We heard but neither of us moved. I could only imagine the confusion that must be spreading around back in the room.

"Not going to make the first move?" Loreto asked.

"And you?" I sent the question back at him.

"Why did you challenge me, Jaws?" Loreto kept his rapier sheathed in its scabbard, placed his hands on his hips, and leaned his weight onto his right leg. "Is it because of our little late night affair? Did you want to finish the deed? Or is there something you want to prove? Or... is this about those asinine questions you have?"

"A little bit of everything... and don't call me Jaws." I answered. Unlike him, I already had my sword snapped onto my left hand. I never saw the point of a scabbard anyway. Just wastes time getting your sword out. Screw safety! Safety and all alike were not a part of my job description.

"Hm! Really, _that's_ what's been on your mind all this time? Really Jaws, you should find yourself a therapist," Loreto chortled underneath his mask, clearly mocking me for all that I was worth. Then he stopped and asked with a smooth tone, "Although I am curious, what will you _do_ when you find out how we know?"

"Kill the one who told you and kill all of you."

"Seems appropriate," Loreto began to chortle again. "So I'm guessing, if _you_ win this battle, not only does Varia stay under Vongola, but Merlo has to confess its secrets and we'll be executed by Varia. While when _I_ win..."

"_If_!" I interjected.

"Pardon me... _if_ I win," he spoke in a humouring tone once again, "Merlo becomes Vongola's assassination squad and we keep our secrets, and Varia is exiled from Vongola."

When he began to chortle again I rushed in to make my mark.

"Marcello will probably send us out to hunt you all down as well... We can't have you guys being bored with... civilian lives, now can we?" He stopped talking when I slashed at his mask. To my surprise, it was tough. It wasn't any regular mask. It was made of metal!

"That was quite rude of you, Superbi," Loreto spoke with a hint of sternness in his tone, he dropped the stupid little pet name as well. "Didn't your parent or guardian ever teach you any manners? Really, slashing a person in the face while their unawares is anything but proper dueling etiquette. I'll suppose I'll let it go though, since you are the handicapped one here."

"Voi... A little less etiquette, a little more chaos, trash! Alo!" I pressed my Varia ring to my Box Weapon and summoned out Alo, my Heavy Rain Shark. I jumped onto his back and he began to charged over to our target.

"So this is why you said _to first blood_, well looks like I'm going to have to be a little stricter on you, Jaws," Loreto finally took out his rapier and pointed it at me.

"VVOOOIIII! Don't you dare hold back!" I roared as we closed in. This guy... He doesn't get it does he? I'll just have to beat the sense into him! Show him I'm serious. Show him that I want his masked head on a stake! I just needed to put him on the edge. Once Alo had brought me close enough, I slashed at his mask again.

"Careful what you wish for, Superbi, you won't like me when I'm angry," he said tauntingly, but something in his tone told me that he was getting serious. Finally! I called Alo to make a u-turn so that we headed back to him, with his back to us.

"VOI! Fight me or die, scum!" I called him out and sure enough, he reacted, quickly I might add. He spun over and blocked my sword with his scabbard in his right hand. In his left hand was his rapier, which came thrusting out towards me. Quickly, I kicked his thin blade away with my boot, diverting the weapon's course of action. Yes! YES! This is more like it!

"Finally getting serious now?" I called to him as Alo and I zipped past him.

"You should watch your _tongue_, Jaws." Loreto's words were sharp. He really was getting into it. Good, I'll get Alo to make another turn and then... wait.

"Voi! Alo, what's wrong?" Before I knew it, Alo fell to the hot sand of the beach. He shuddered to a stop and looked to be on his last legs. I got off his back immediately and knelt down at his side. What was this? Alo was stronger than that! He could take on 3 targets at once! I turned to Loreto, "What the fuck did you do?"

"Why, Jaws, I only did what you told me to do," Loreto said, sounding astonished at my question. "You told me not to hold back so I didn't. So I had little Nemo take care of your shark. Come over, Nemo..." Then Loreto knelt down and scooped up a tiny thing in his gloved hands. I recognized it as the bright yellow thing that usually rested on his hat. Loreto held it up to his masked face, as if it kiss it. "Oh poor Nemo, the beach is no place for a golden poison dart frog, back in the Box you go now... it'll be all over soon."

"Golden _poison_ dart frog?" I queried.

"Indeed, little Nemo is my Box Animal," Loreto spoke once his frog was back in its box. "As a species they're quite endangered, yet their poison is very dangerous. It's skin is densely covered in an alkaline poison that prevents the transmission of impulses by the nerves. This leaves the muscles in a state of inactive contraction, which leads to heart failure or fibrillation. Your shark will be fine though, it's Rain flames will probably cleanse the poison out of its system eventually, but for you won't be able to play cowboy on him."

"You little shit..." I returned Alo back to his box and put it aside. "So I guess I finally got your attention enough to poison my Box Animal, huh?"

"How did you guess?" Loreto spoke with sarcasm. I'll admit, his smirking mask looked eerier with the slashes on it. The slashes were enough to leave some clean incisions, but that mask of his must be pretty thick. None of my attacks broke through. "Well, I'm definitely into this battle, but I'm not convinced if you are yet..."

"Voi! What was that? Say that again you piece of trash," I got up and got my sword ready. _He_ was the one who wasn't taking this battle seriously at the start! I was the one who challenged him! Ugh, too bad I called it to first blood. Oh well. I'll just have fun killing him after I've won. I just needed him to spill blood!

I began charging at him as I thrust my sword in front of me. He reacted quick though and jumped up and out of the way. From our last encounter, in my bedroom, he had proven to be quite agile with his movements, and his jumps reached a good height. Wait a minute.

What was that in his hand?

"_Zanna di Squalo_," I heard Loreto as he jumped over me. Then I heard a sound. It was like a rock being struck. Then there was a burning sensation all over me and the smell of smoke and burning. "Flaw: restricted field of attack."

"VVOOOIII!" I ran straight into the water to put out the flames that were expanding on my back.

"You should really thank your leader for that one."

The liquor! The glass, no two glasses of liquor that Xanxus had thrown at me. They were flammable and that thing in his hand could have been any piece of flint he found around in the sand, which when struck by the steel of his blade, caused a spark.

"You're playing in dangerous waters, brat," I got up from the water and ran in for an attack. I got in close and attacked. Each swing of my sword was met with his scabbard. So he really did know how to use that rapier of his. The thin blade wouldn't be able to take a full force hit from my blade, but his scabbard could. I then went in for the attack.

"_Attacco di Squalo_," Loreto did it again and in a fast movement, met my sword with his rapier. It may have been thin, but a rapier should not have been pushed back _that _easily. His rapier was pushed down by the force of my sword. He was open for an attack! Just as I lifted my sword swiftly for the shot, he beat me to it with his scabbard at the ready. The blunt edge of his scabbard hit my jugular notch and I quickly reacted by choking. "Flaw: requires opponent's weapon to be grasped firmly in order for shockwave to travel through."

"_Fuck_!" My voice rasped and I took a few steps away from my assaulter.

"I see you're finally getting serious." Oh I was going to enjoy snapping his windpipe when I'm done with this. "I'm about to end this now if you don't mind, but before I do I have a question for you, Squalo Superbi."

Keeping the distance between us, I just stared at him.

"How many times do you look in the mirror to realize you're all alone?"

What?

"They're all gone, Squalo. Things have changed. Your flames are dying out. The _inhuman_ Varia has been broken down. Your life as Squalo Adamo is dead. And your savior? Oh, I saw to _her_ end thoroughly."

"_What_...?"

"Don't you get it?" Loreto yelled. "I am the reason for _her _death!"

There were no more words. I didn't need words. Whatever came out of my mouth probably sounded like a mess of sounds. I didn't care. I just wanted this fucker dead, here and now. I didn't care anymore. I didn't care how he or the rest of Merlo knew. It would all be over when they were all dead. I charged in, swiping my sword diagonally in front of me.

"_Scontro di Squalo_," Loreto droned but I hardly heard him. His voice only made me run faster.

I hardly saw what he did next. I hardly knew what _I_ did next. All I knew was...

I was bleeding.

But...

So was he.

"Flaw," Loreto struggled to say as he registered the cut at his neck, "... like a Shark, subject is unable to stop and/or change direction when charging, especially when overtaken by copious amounts of emotion, which mirrors the 'blind rage' of a shark in charge."

I felt the the thin blade zip out of my side and quickly I recollected what just happened. I was charging up to him, but then he sidestepped out of the way, but he did so too late, or rather, he didn't expect me to speed up at the last moment. Just as he sidestepped and thrust his rapier at me, my sword had come up and got him. By the rule of first blood... we were tied.

We... were tied.

So why...?

* * *

When we got back... why did the screen say that Loreto had won?

"Voi... brats, what the fuck is this? It was a tie! We got each other at the same time!" I knew for sure. We did and Loreto knew it himself. We both conceded the tie as the outcome of our battle and decided that our bosses would have to decide the outcome of the tournament according to the original plan. Nothing had changed. Varia and Merlo were still tied. So the Sky battle would just have to break this long-lived stalemate once and for all. Nothing was different even with the extra battle.

Except this time my left arm didn't throb.

"It has been decided that Loreto has won this battle," Sawada spoke and moment he did, I knew what was going on.

"You fucking cheats! You said you wanted a fucking clean and simple tournament! You said you wouldn't use you hypnotism to ensure your victory!" I pointed my blade at Marcello and Loreto. Loreto kept silent as he accepted the win.

"Who are you to question the Vongola's judgement? Accept your loss like a true swordsman. You further taint your honour _and_ your pride by making a fuss of it," Marcello scrunched up his face and looked at me as if I was crazy.

Before I could let out another outburst, someone - or rather some_thing_ - else beat me to it. Xanxus had gotten up from his seat and had fired a shot at the Vongola. I was nearly about to ask him what he was doing but I quickly realized when I heard the brat release a gutless whimper like he used to ten years ago. The shot missed him, but only by a little bit, but it was enough to shock him out of the hypnotism.

"Tenth!" However that tactic did not work for his guardians and soon Xanxus and I were surrounded by them.

"Eh, wait everyone, I'm alright!" Sawada tried to explain, but the hypnotism still affected them. The guardians accepted the fact that Varia had now lost, that meant we were to be exiled from Vongola. Xanxus's shot at Sawada was seen as a threat. Varia was now a threat. Any threat to Vongola was to be eliminated.

"Xanxus... Squalo Superbi... you should take this moment to leave while the moment still stands," Marcello spoke carefully at us. "There is no doubt that one of our first missions will be to hunt you down after that... bold statement to the Vongola Decimo. However, we will give you and your team the mercy of allowing you a year of rest before that day comes. Those of your team who are still in need of hospitalization will remain here until they are well enough to leave. So, take to your base and pack, because we will begin the demolition of it once we start searching for you. Farewell and enjoy the remaining days of your lives."

We were then ushered out of the building. I thought Xanxus would have put up a fight, but when I saw that he didn't, I followed in his footsteps and kept my sword down. Belphegor, Leviathan, Lussuria, and Mammon were still in there, recuperating from their battles. It was just us two left of Varia. With that shot... we were now fugitives. After a year we would be hunted down for that single bullet... now... now what?

"Xanxus...?" I tried but I received nothing. I suppose we should just start on our way back. I sighed and began making my way down the stairs, when I felt something hold me back.

"Ahg, damn it, that hurts!" I grunted as Xanxus pulled on the singed ends of my hair. I continued to thrash and complain, until he pulled me down. I hissed when I fell to one of the steps to the stairs. What the hell was he doing? I had enough for one day, couldn't he play the abusive boyfriend another day. I looked up to him. Even in the shade of the Vongola base, his crimson eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Those eyes filled with blood lust and wrath.

"Xanxus... Xanxus, what... what are you doing?" I asked as he snapped my sword off of my left hand. He held it above me. I got it. You don't lose in Varia. Time and time again... I had lost. Failure is not an option. It was succeed or die. Never since I had vowed to follow this man did I ever think that my end would come to me like this. I always thought that I was die a warrior's death, for the man whom I decided to follow. Stories would be made in my name, but I guess... I'm going to die alone and a fugitive.

But... I guess it was alright. If my death came from his hands... it was better to be from him than from anybody else. I closed my eyes and accepted what he offered to me.

"The distant vow of yesterday, I've decided to follow you..." If I was going down, I might as well leave my last words, right?

With my eyes closed I didn't know what happened, all I felt was that I was suddenly let go. The weight of my head fell down and hit the edge of stair step. Then everything stopped. I couldn't open my eyes even if I wanted to.

For a long while there was nothing.

Is this... death?

Then...

"For the sakes of the guys upstairs... I leave you alone for a little while and you decide to chill out on the front entrance!"

* * *

Niko: So there it is. Varia is over. Finished. Done. And... so is Squalo...?

Well, we'll just have to wait for the next chapter to resolve this cliffhanger! (Or... _is there _another chapter?)

**Notes:**

1. A little personal note, I suppose. When I had decided to make the swordsmen battle at the beach I kept having this funny feeling. Something seemed familiar and I had no idea what it was. Eventually I realized and went back to **Requiem of Rain**, and I remembered that Squalo and Keith actually went to the beach. So Squalo's surprise of this sort of mirrors my own (at least a little bit).

2. I've begun to wonder if anyone ever noticed. The storekeepers mentioned in **Requiem of Rain** were actually foreshadowing Varia. The "_cloaked_ store owner" of the book store who said "_pay in cash_ or get your ass out of here." (Mammon). The antique store owner who had many _umbrellas_ in his store (Leviathan). The clothing store owner who had her _hair dyed and styled eccentrically_ and often flattered men (Lussuria). The sushi restaurant, which always had this very young boy "resting his boots on the table" like he _owned_ the place (Belphegor).  
Are there any minds blown by this? (it's okay if you did, when I read I always miss foreshadowing as well!)

Loreto took most of my notes, when he called out Squalo's attacks and flaws... that jerk!

So that's all for this chapter. So... judging by my recent writing habits... the next chapter may or may not come earlier than the scheduled time. I'll be honest, starting from the third chapter, I've been writing nonstop (finishing chapters within 1-2 days). This however has been preventing me from writing my other story **Diplomacy**... So I'm trying to rethink my original uploading plan.

I _might_, and this is a very high possiblity, start uploading chapters twice a week, because I can't hold in any more of my excitement I just have to write the story out (in writing, I'm like... at beginning of chapter 9...:D). So don't be overly surprised if I upload another chapter within in the week.

Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a review!


	7. Broken and Thrown Away

Niko: Alrighty! It's time for another chapter!

So as you noticed, I will not be uploading twice a week. I need to prioritize my work between this story and another story I'm currently uploading (and struggling with) at the moment (plus I've also been wanting to play some games, I haven't been doing much gaming and I want to finish the game before summer ends...)

So the uploading will continue being **once a week, on Wednesdays** (by my calender, today is a Wednesday).

**I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!**

* * *

**Broken and Thrown Away  
**

**(Lussuria)**

Uuuuhhhggg... What happened?

Oh! The battle! I was fighting that Merlo member and then... and then he just tossed me over the roof of the Vongola base! The nerve of him! Ugh... I probably lost the battle and...

I can't see anything.

Everything was blurred beyond comprehension.

Am I... dead?

No! That can't be! I can still feel my hands and feet. I thrashed about on the spot and felt my surroundings. There was something soft all around me. I think I was on a bed and under some covers. Was all this Merlo business just a big nightmare?

No, no, no. This is not my bed. The material is too coarse to be mine! Wait... if I was on a bed… I raised my hands and touched my face. My glasses were gone! Oh that explains why I can't see. Silly me~

"Glasses~ Glasses where are you~?" I don't think it would be a wise idea to get off the bed with my terrible vision. So I was limited to reaching around in blind search of my glasses. Really, if this was one of Belphegor's pranks again, it isn't funny. He's done this before, taking my glasses from me while I was asleep. I had the worst morning that one time... Mammon has asked every now and then why I wouldn't just invest in contacts or even laser eyes surgery. Why? Because my glasses were pretty, that's why! Sure they can be a hassle but I love them! It also makes me look pretty cool~

"Oh, you're awake." I heard a voice, but all I saw was a dark blurry figure. Footsteps sounded as the figure came closer to me. "Here, I believe these are prescription, right?" The dark figure moved a bit closer then I could see again.

"Oh, thank you very much~" I thanked the young uniformed woman who had returned to me my glasses.

"You're welcome, you're looking much better," she noted.

"What has happened with the tournament?" I dove in straight for the answers. I had no idea how long I was out cold for, but I knew things must have happened. Were Belphegor and Leviathan alright? Did we win the tournament? Are Boss, Mammon, and Squ okay? I just needed to know. However the change in her expression already sent me a bad vibe. I did my best to prepare for the worst.

"The outcome of the tournament... ended with Merlo's victory," she stated curtly. "With that... Varia has been given orders to disband and is now exiled from the Vongola famiglia. You and the three other injured Varia members are welcome to stay as long as you require recuperation. However in a year's time, Merlo said that they would target the Varia... as fugitives."

"Fugitives...?" I repeated almost breathlessly. Oh, now what kind of mess have they got themselves into this time? They just can't keep things in order for long…

"Apparently... the leader of Varia made a shot at the Vongola Decimo in retaliation, that... in itself is a criminal act." Damn... Just... Damn. I would have expected boss to have reacted that way. He... like all of Varia, we're so unused to losing that we can be sore losers when the time comes. We don't admit defeat. We keep fighting until we die. There is no life for us without fight. That is the way we have chosen for ourselves... and I never regret it one moment of my life.

"Um..." the agent's voice caught my attention. "You seem to be feeling better... however... I can ask to make arrangements... that is, if you would like to wait for your friends as well... two of them however have already left, Xanxus and Squalo Superbi."

Boss and Squ already left? Where did they go...? I wonder?

"Hm... friends..." I repeated the word aloud. I had always considered Varia to be a family, not exactly friends. Why family and not friends? Simply because you choose friends, but you can't exactly choose your family. Friends have common things that tie themselves together close, like the Vongola Decimo and his Guardians, but not us. We were a family, we were bonded by fate and we were forced to work together. We don't all like each other. Sometimes we hate each other. We're not perfect but we're family.

"Yes, I would like that," I smiled to her offer. "Now, may I go see my sons(1)?"

The agent offered to help me, but I took her down on the offer. I was an assassin, I could take care of myself. I got out of the bed with ease and left, hospital gown, pride, and all.

* * *

**(Belphegor)**

I stared through the window, I don't know for how long. Every now and then a doctor or nurse would ask me if I needed help. I ignored them. They weren't worthy my attention. The only one who was worthy... was unconscious.

They didn't come this morning, I guess they were stressed about the final battle or something. I didn't care but they missed some... relatively good news. The arrow that hit me, hit my shoulder. So although the back of my body took the burns of the explosion, my back took the full brunt of it. Everything from my hips down were not as burnt. So I could still walk eventually, just not now. The first thing I was able to do was sit. I was able to sit and that was what got me a wheelchair.

It was still tough though. I couldn't lean back, even with a pillow behind me without feeling a shock of pain. Maneuvering the wheelchair on my own wasn't easy either. Turning was tiresome and I often got frustrated with the damned contraption. I still am. I wanted one of those that moved by a joystick but the doctor's said I should probably get used to using my body again. Hmph! Whatever.

I had suffered another loss as well. For the time being I asked the nurse to give me a beanie to wear. I'll ask Mammon to give me one of his hoods or something later.

Mammon...

That's right... I saw today's battles and I gripped my pillow throughout the entire thing. Mammon looked to be in pain yet he still was able to work against his opponent for his final move. I was angered when it was called a tie, and I'm pretty sure, Squalo and Xanxus probably didn't handle it all to well either.

So that's why I'm here now. I slipped onto the wheelchair, ignored the slight pain in doing so, and rolled out of my room to search for Mammon's. I wasn't sure if I was allowed in, even if I was, I wouldn't know how to approach him. Is this how he felt? Staring through the window of my room, completely unsure if you could have done something or if you could do something now? All that time while I was resting up, he was worrying for me. It probably took him a lot to enter my room that night. I don't blame him for crying either.

Because right now... I feel like I might just do the same if he doesn't wake up soon.

Come on, Mammon. I'm not as patient as you are. Just one more miracle. Scoff and tell me how much that one little miracle will cost. I'll give it all. Just... please...

You're a real bully you know that?

Making the Prince beg.

* * *

**(Leviathan)**

I was laying in a bed when I finally came to. The doctors and nurses informed me of my injuries. I had retained six knife wounds to my abdomen. Each one was stitched up and eventually they would all heal. I would also have to get those stitches removed eventually, but that would have to wait. They said I was lucky that there was a bit of rubber put into the making of the Varia uniform, enough to protect my body. My head on the other hand...

I was not sure how to react when they handed me a mirror. First... my hair. Since it was singed, they had to cut the singed ends. The Sun Flames they used to heal me had made my hair grow, however it was not as long as it used to be. My beard was gone and so was my mustache.

However it was my face that caught my attention first. It was covered in scars. At first I thought, they are like Boss's, but then the feeling hardened and fell down to the pit of my stomach. Boss... I had failed in winning the battle. I had failed in my attack. I had failed you. I do not deserve these scars. These scars only remind me of my failure.

Damn it all.

Damn it...

Damn.

"Yoo hoo~ Levi?" I looked over to the door and saw Lussuria there. He looked to be well, but he was in a hospital gown. Did he already partake in his fight? I had noted that there was a television screen in my room, perhaps to allow me to watch the remainder of the battles. However, I have been under the affects of the narcotics for most of my stay, and I had not received any news from the doctors or nurses. I am sure we had won. Boss would have shown the our opponents what challenging Varia truly meant. I am sure of it.

"Ah Levi! How are you feeling? Can you stand up?"

"Euh? I, uh... think so..." Although Lussuria beckoned to "let mama help you" I had to turn down his offer as I pushed myself up off my bed and let my bare feet touch the cold tile floor of the hospital room. "What is this about, Lussuria? What has been going on while I was being treated?"

"Hmm... You've been out since the battle, I see..." I was not able to be sure of it, but I assumed that behind his dark tinted glasses, Lussuria was staring at me up and down. "Well it doesn't matter, I was going to find Belphegor so that we can all fill each other in. Sound good~?"

"Uh... sure," I said and with that Lussuria dragged me out of my room in search for Belphegor.

* * *

**(Lussuria)**

I had found Levi and he seemed a lot better from how he was when I last saw him. His face however was covered in a bunch of scars. In a way they reminded me of boss's. Well, Levi always was a little teacher's pet for our boss, so I guess he must feel rather warm and fuzzy inside with them. Then again... he's probably beating himself over the fact that he lost his battle... Oh, I _really_ don't want to be the one to tell him that Varia lost... How will he react? I don't want to think about it now.

Eventually we saw something. From afar we nearly mistook him for someone else, but we found Bel in a wheelchair staring into a hospital room. I faced Levi and silently told him to keep quiet. In silence, we walked up behind Bel. I was going to surprise him with a joke about voyeurism and staring creepily into another person's room, until I saw who's room he was looking into.

"Mammon."

"Huh, when did you guys get here?" Bel turned his head to face us. So it was him, I just wanted to make sure. It was hard to recognize him since he was in a wheelchair and wearing a hat.

"Just a moment ago, what happened to Mammon?" I asked.

"Tch, so you two were out that long, huh?" Bel sighed and tried to push his wheelchair so that he wouldn't have to crane his neck to look at us. He did that with little ease, however he declined our offers for help. Stubborn son as usual~ "Mammon's battle was this morning and he was up against this crazy peasant from Merlo. They fought with their illusions... but in the end the battle ended as a tie, and now Mammon's in there, and he hasn't woken up since..."

"What did the doctors say about him?"

"His vital signs are all over the place. His pulse accelerates every now and then and his breathing becomes uneven. Sometimes though they return to more stable numbers... It's like he's having a nightmare. Even though the battle is over... he's still going through it... And they can't wake him up... He responds to pain but that's not enough to wake him."

"Do you think we can go in?" I asked.

"I don't think so, but when has that ever stopped us before?" Bel pulled out a smile. That's much better! It's so awkward to see him without one. "I just need someone to open the door, or else I would have been inside a long time ago."

I giggled and got the door for our little Prince and he wheeled himself in, although having slight trouble making the turn in. After him was Levi and then I entered Mammon's room. I had realized from seeing all of the other rooms, that each room was pretty much the same. Bland and plain. One could get tired of a place like this. I wonder just how Bel could handle it, since he was here and _awake_ for the entire thing. Gosh, I'd probably be on the brink of pulling my hair out.

Once inside, Bel wheeled himself over to the side of Mammon's bed. He was just has Bel said. His body shook every now and then, just slightly. His skin looked cold and clammy with sweat. Whatever was going on in his head was definitely not healthy. We couldn't just leave him like this, but what was there to do? Mammon could not be awoken, the doctors had tried.

He was trapped in a dream, and dreams aren't like the real world. They're illogical, as I recall Mammon once explaining to me. So whatever he was going through, he couldn't just wave off as an illusion. He couldn't just come to his senses. He had to wake up and soon.

"Mammon..." I was surprised by the sudden sound. Bel had called out to Mammon, which seemed to have done something. Mammon's breathing which had been seemingly normal was now becoming uneven.

"Come on, Mammon," Bel pushed at it again. "One more miracle... one more ride on the carousel... I'll buy you all the bottles of that strawberry swill you love so much... just... give me one more miracle."

It hurt to see Belphegor in the state. He had always been so smug, it wasn't like him to be begging Mammon to wake up like this. Belphegor held Mammon's hand in his and buried his head away from our view. I didn't need to see to know that he was crying.

"You... mean it?"

We all looked up when we heard his voice rasp. Levi and I watched as Belphegor shot his head up in reaction to his response. Mammon's eyes were open, and on his lips were a smile. He stared at Bel, waiting for his answer.

"Yes..." Bel licked his dried lips before breaking into a grateful laugh. "Yes! Yes! All the bottles! I'll buy them all!"

It looked like our family was finally coming together a bit.

After things calmed down we got back to business. Mammon sat himself up and started to pick at the tray of food that a nurse had probably left him a while ago. Bel stayed in his wheelchair and kept to Mammon's side. Levi was leaned against the wall and I stood in the middle conducting our little mini meeting.

"So, Bel, you've been awake the longest, would you care to tell us what had happened?" I asked.

"What do you want to know?"

"Who fought after me?" Levi came in quickly at the rebound.

"In order, first it was me, then it was you, then Squalo, then Lussuria, then Mammon and - get that shit away from my face," Bel was interrupted as Mammon humourously waved the spoon full of food in front of Belphegor's face. My my, a few minutes have only passed and they're _already_ acting like a couple~ How cute(2)!

"Wait..." Levi then came in. "Belphegor had won and I had... lost... that meant after the first day, Varia and Merlo were tied. Since there's an even number of battles, why were there three more battles?"

Bel sighed impatiently. "We _didn't win_ all of our battles okay?"

"I'm sorry to say I'm to blame," I spoke with a bit of guilt. However it was not entirely my fault! There had to be something dishonourable about tossing your opponent over the roof. Hmph!

"Yeah, Lussuria lost his battle when he was tossed over the roof of the Vongola base," Bel explained in further detail to Levi, much to my dismay. "Before him, Squalo won his battle. So after the second day, we were still in a tie. Then today was Mammon's battle, which resulted... in a tie."

"A tie?" Mammon repeated.

"So then... all was left is Boss, he won the battle and the tournament!" Levi deducted and fixed himself the conclusion.

"Nope," Bel said simply. "There was an extra battle placed, between Squalo and the masked member of Merlo, a battle of the blades."

"What?" I was surprised to hear this. I had seen Squalo's battle and I knew from that injury he should not be fighting. Then again, Squalo was a master at the blade. He wouldn't allow himself the shame of losing to such a youngster. "And... Squalo won, right?"

"I wonder," Belphegor's smile was completely gone and his voice had gone sombre. "I watched the battle from beginning to end. I watched all of your battles during my stay. This one however didn't make sense. That masked kid in Merlo saw through each of Squalo's attacks, the attacks that _made_ his Sword Emperor title. He listed the flaws of each one like he was taking Squalo to class."

"So did he win or not?" Levi pressed on.

"Like I said, I wonder," Belphegor pressed back. "The battle was to first blood, meaning the loser would be the one who spilled blood first. I watched the battle again and again until my eyes hurt. The outcome was the same each time. They hit each other at the same time. It was a tie... but the Vongola called it as Merlo's win."

"What?" Levi backed up into the wall in shock. I too was surprised with this news. Why would the Vongola call it as Merlo's win if it was rightfully a tie? It simply was not the way of the Vongola to do this, unless... Unless he truly wanted Varia to lose.

"I must have been the hypnotism," Mammon's voice broke through my worrying thoughts. "That spell caster... the reason why I was out for so long must have been _his doing_. He must still have enough power to hypnotize the Vongola and keep _me_ out..."

"So then... if it was Loreto's win... that means Varia..." Levi couldn't bring himself to finish his statement. He lowered his head and before us he began to break apart. "It was my fault... I should have done better in my battle..."

"Levi, it's not you're fault, there was nothing any of us could do, they... Merlo knew about us," I reassured Levi. It was a mother's job to watch over her sons and her family. If the father(3) was away then the mother will take care of her family until he comes back. That is my job as a mother of this broken family of assassins.

"It's true," Mammon agreed with my statement. "They knew too much. They knew about us and our attacks, they knew just what we would do. They knew how to handle Levi's attack and they knew that he was going to use it. They knew where to hit Squalo and all the probably flaws of his attacks. They knew how to get into my head... But what they didn't know... was Belphegor and Lussuria's attacks."

"That's true," I joined back in. "The opponent I faced said it himself, he wasn't _told_ about my metal plates, I had added those just recently!"

"And I had perfected my Storming Knives Waltz ten years ago when we were given the Varia rings and boxes..."

"So that's where our answer lies, they know about us, but they only know information on us that dates back ten years ago," Mammon concluded. So then what was it that they didn't know and how far back did they know about each of us?

"Excuse me?"

We all turned to the door, to the source of the foreign voice. A young lady stood there, suited up in a Vongola uniform.

"Sorry to disturb you, but you all are Varia, yes?" She spoke nervously. She must be young, a rookie agent under Vongola. What was a young thing like her doing in the Mafia I wonder. She was probably a gofer who ran errands for the higher ranked agents of Vongola. "I have received orders to escort you off the premises."

We were all silenced.

"If you require any more wheelchairs, I can get some for you," she spoke, hinting at Mammon who still sat in his bed.

"Unnecessary," Mammon said as Fantasma aided him in floating out of bed. "We will leave here on our own."

That was our Mammon, holding onto our Varia pride.

"I understand, I will just keep in the back to watch over," the gofer smiled and waited as each of us left the room. Mammon was first out, then Belphegor after refusing any help with his chair, then Leviathan, and then me. She kept to her word and followed behind us in silence. She was probably weary that we would cause a ruckus and retaliate before we got out. However, retaliation at this point in time looked to be pointless.

We entered this building as proud assassins of Varia and so we were going to leave this building as proud assassins of Varia.

Once we were out, was when Mammon stopped and turned around.

"So what was your real intention for getting us outside, Merlo?"

"Oh, so you saw through my disguise," the young woman smiled. We had. No one that young could be in the Mafia and be allowed to escort an assassination squad. She was good, but we weren't stupid.

"Well, disguises aside... Varia, I need your help."

* * *

**(Squalo)**

Everything was dark. There were no sounds so I wasn't dreaming. Nothing to be sensed except for vast darkness. Was this death? Was this Hell? Well, if my punishment is to be bored for all eternity it's already affecting me. There is no life for me if I'm not killing. Ugh, I feel terrible.

My body... or my soul? I don't know. Whatever it was, I felt sore all over. I couldn't move, at least I don't think I could.

Then I heard something. What was it? It started with a squeaking sound. Then came a sudden outburst of sounds, no, not sounds. Voices. There were voices, but they were muffled by distance, I couldn't make them out in the slightest. Then the sound of a door shutting and a click. All these sounds but no sight... could I be dreaming?

"You look like you're doing well." A comprehensible voice! I was definitely not dreaming and I don't think I was dead either. I was probably blindfolded, which explained my lack of sight. I felt around with restricted movement of my arms and legs. They were bound, except for my injured arm, which was pretty much bound to my body due to the sling around the cast. I was tied to a chair. So that's what was going on...

"Well enough to start thrashing about even," the voice spoke in response to my shuffling. I then heard the sounds of cluttering dishware and the sloppy sound of viscous liquid.

"Wheerraaughmmmmy?" Pure poetry. I wanted to where I was, so I asked. I guess I was dizzy or something.

Then I remembered what had happened before. We had lost the tournament. Even though my battle with Loreto was a tie, Varia had lost. Xanxus and I left the building and when we were outside, Xanxus pulled me down by my hair and took my sword. I closed my eyes and left him to do the deed. All I remember after that... was falling, head first onto a hard surface and then a muffled voice came and...

"Where... am... I?" I tried again, slower this time allowing each word to finish before starting on the next one.

"Oh so that's what you were saying," the voice chuckled, it sounded closer. "No questions for now, here you need nutrients."

I felt something warm and plastic touch my lips. A spoon I think. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious. I hadn't realized how hungry I was when my mouth began to salivate. I cracked open my chapped lips and allowed the contents of the spoon to empty into my mouth. It was just as good as it smelled. It was soup for one. The contents were warm and salty. I wanted more.

"If you take off the blindfold and restraints, I can feed myself you know?"

"Oh... pardon me, one moment," the voice sounded shy and embarrassed for a moment. "I'm not quite decent." I waited in hunger as a shuffling sound came and went. There was a clicking sound before I felt the restraints on my wrists loosen and come off. Then my blindfold was removed and the first thing I saw was light. It was awfully bright. Above me there was a bright light and everywhere else was darkly lit. The bowl was placed on a tray on my lap.

The owner of the voice was nowhere in my sights.

Cautiously, I took the spoon and fed myself. How long had it been to get me this hungry? I looked around the little circle of lightened area around me, but there was little to be noticed. I was able to confirm that I was tied to a chair at my ankles and thighs now.

Although I could not find my captor, I knew he was still out there.

"What is this anyway?" I asked taking another spoonful. Even though I should be weary of its contents, my hunger wouldn't allow for it.

"If you're worried if it's poisoned, it's not," the voice resounded once again. My captor was right in front of me, I just couldn't see him. I heard a shuffling before he continued, "But if you're curious... it's shark fin soup."

Screw my hunger.

"VOI! The fuck are you doing giving me this shit?" I then proceeded to throw the bowl onto the ground and letting the rest of the vile liquid flow to the ground.

"Cruelty!" the voice said in a rather undignified tone. This however was my plan. The bowl was in the lighted area, if he wanted to go and get it back, he'd have to show me his face. "You have no heart, Jaws! I spent so long making that! Do you know how hard it is to get shark fin nowadays(4)?"

Jaws... There was only one person who ever called me that.

Loreto.

"So it's you... What do you want! Merlo won and got their place in Vongola, is that not enough for you?" I thrashed in my seat and tried to pull apart the restraints. "If it's a fight you want, I'll give you one hell of a fight! Come at me, I dare you!"

I heard Loreto sigh as he walked into the light and picked up the bowl and spoon off the floor.

"Hours of perfecting the recipe... at least the other officers were nice enough not to throw food on the floor!" What? The others were here? Could... could they have been the voices I had heard earlier?

"Voi... what did you do to them? What are you doing to all of us? Your leader said one year, or are you planning to keep us contained for this year, so that we can't run off far? Does the Vongola know about this? I bet not, using that hypnotism of yours..."

"Geez, will you just calm down, you sound utterly paranoid. Really, it's not healthy to be so suspicious. I will say though, I didn't expect you would take my advice about the haircut."

What?

Loreto returned to the darkness and I thought it was over. That was until he came back with a box. He went back and returned with another box. With the two boxes stacked up, he climbed up and took a seat on the top box. He now looked down on me on his throne of boxes. In his hands, he brought out a mirror and showed me my reflection.

At first I didn't see anything different, until I turned to my side.

My hair was cut.

The front bangs were left alone, even the side ones that were always separated from the rest. It was the rest of my hair was was cut. It was uneven and slightly reminiscent of my hair in my years at the academy. How could this be?

"VOI! You fucker! Did you...?" I

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Calm your ass down!" Loreto took the mirror away from between us. "_I_ didn't do anything! I just _found_ you like this. Maybe you should think about what _you_ were doing before you were knocked out cold on the front steps of the Vongola base!"

What was I doing? I was with Xanxus. He pulled me down and took my sword and he... Fuck.

_He_ did it.

He grabbed my hair and cut it, that's why my head fell and hit the stair steps. Damn... Why... Why would he do that?

"So... did you see her in there?" Rubbing salt into my current wound, I looked up to Loreto. Really? Right now when I was questioning my boss and his reasons, he decided to bring _that_ up?

"How the fuck do you know about her?" I asked at first and I wanted to keep it at that but I could not contain it any more. "Fuck it! How do you know about everything? How do know about Varia and our attacks? How do you know about me and my past? How do you know... about Esther?"

"Use your imagination, Squalo," Loreto answered. I vaguely recall that same phrase being his answer to my questions before. What was there that my imagination could possibly answer?

"Nothing? I'm disappointed in you Squalo."

"There's only one... friend who would know this much about me, and you... you killed her. I don't know how that's possible. She disappeared sixteen years ago. You don't look old enough to have been responsible for her death or disappearance. It's all... just so confusing."

"Well, you are right," Loreto crossed his legs. "I'm fifteen... if that amounts to anything for you."

I only responded with silence. All this at one time was too much. Xanxus... he had basically thrown me away. He had done this before many times, but not like this. He had left me to be eaten by a shark(5) once. Time and time again, he had expected me to die in battle, never once expecting me to come back. I always did, but he wouldn't show that he cared. Now... now he had cut my hair. I had vowed to him with my hair, and I kept it with pride. It was what connected us and now he had severed this tie between us. He truly threw me away now.

Remembering Esther wasn't making the situation any better either. She had been watching over me for so long and wanted what was best for me. She mentioned the night she disappeared that she wondered if she had guided me in the right direction, since I had become an assassin. She worried for me when I continued to be reckless and headstrong. Is this my life now? A failure? A thrown away, broken piece of trash?

I heard a shuffling and jolted back to the real world when I heard something clang against the floor. I gathered my senses and looked down. Loreto's metal mask, still scarred from out battle, had fallen to the ground. I looked up to my captor.

"Whoops, dropped my face!"

* * *

Niko: NOPE! You'll find out who Loreto is in the next chapter! I will say though, I like some of the guesses that have been given so far. If any of you have guesses or theories, I'd love to hear them!

However who is Loreto and what plans does he have for Squalo and the rest of Varia? Where'd Xanxus go? Why did Xanxus cut Squalo's hair?

**Notes:**

1. Reminder that Lussuria sees himself as Varia's Mama

2. This is Lussuria's words! Not mine (although I do find the the ship kind of cute, but I digress)

3. Reminder that Xanxus is the Varia's father (Lussuria's statement, it's odd to think of Xanxus and Lussuria as the parents though... Varia must be a very unstable family)

4. Readers, behold the first idea I had gotten for writing BREAK OUT (Yeah, this idea has been with me since the getgo, I call it the soul of the story)

5. This is referring back to the Ring Battles.

So that's it for this chapter! The next chapter may be a little short, in comparison to the past chapters... about the same length as the Sword Battle chapter though, so tune in next week for another exciting chapter of **BREAK OUT**!

Thank you all for reading and feel free to leave a review!


	8. Lament, Little Wandering Soul

Niko: Hey everyone it's time for another chapter! Now we finally find out who Loreto is, although I think I made it rather obvious after the last chapter, oh well. Even if some of you have figured out who Loreto is behind the mask, I doubt you know _how_ or _why_?

So without further ado, it's time for the questions to be answered!

**I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!**

* * *

**Lament, Little Wandering Soul  
**

I never saw it coming. I never did.

As I stared in silence, Loreto jumped off his throne of boxes and picked up his fallen mask. With it back in his hands he looked up to me.

"You got tall."

Even then I still couldn't bring myself to respond. There was no logical explanation, not one _I_ could think of anyways. Maybe that was why Loreto kept telling me to use my imagination. However, I'm not even sure if my wildest dreams could have predicted this.

"What's up? You've just been staring at me, you're going to start making me blush! You remember who I am right?"

"How…"

"You know who I am… Say it. Out loud. Say it…"

"Esther…"

"Yay~ So you do remember me, you had me worried there for a moment," Loreto, or rather Esther said, placing her… his…? I'm so confused.

"What… I… How are you…?"

"Whoa, whoa! Careful! I only said to use your imagination. Don't strain your brain any more than that," Esther chuckled taking my current state of confusion in bright humour. "Geez, let me just get you out of those restraints, now that I know you're not going to bite my head off."

As Esther got working on my restraints I just stared at her. Was this really the Esther I knew? The face matched and the voice was similar, but how could that possibly be? I felt her hand brush against my leg. The Esther I remember couldn't do that. She… she was a ghost, a spirit. She wasn't something of the physical world. So... how?

"How did you…?"

"Shh," Esther responded. "I'll explain everything to everyone in time. Just be a little patient. You've been holding up for so long already."

"Sixteen years…"

"I know and I'm sorry…" With that Esther finished with the restraints. "You might want to stay in the seat, I'll bring everyone in and get this place properly lit." I kept to my chair as Esther returned to the darkness, which disappeared in a click. With the entire room lighted I took the opportunity to look around. It looked like a basement, so we were underground, that explained the cold. There were a bunch of boxes, all of different sizes.

Eventually I heard muffled voices from beyond the door. It opened and there was Varia, well most of it anyway. Lussuria immediately called out to me and rushed over. Close behind was Leviathan, wearing his new battle scars. After them were Mammon and Belphegor. I noticed at first that Belphegor was floating beside Mammon, which was odd. After a few odd greetings we got settled down into chairs and boxes for seats as Esther stood before us.

"Well, I suppose I'll introduce myself again. My name is Esther and… I can say I've known you all for a very long time," Esther introduced. "I am sure you all have some overdue questions for me. I will answer them all now. So, let's begin."

"How did you know about us?" Mammon asked first, "and for _how long_ exactly?"

"Good question right off the bat!" Esther smiled(1). "Let's see, I've known most of you since the Cradle Affair, so… eighteen years. However I have known Squalo for more than that, give me second I need to count… uh… hmm… around 22 years I believe? _How_ I know about you guys is simply because I was there."

"But you don't look any older than your mid-teens," Lussuria noted. It was true, since Esther had appeared as Loreto, he… she did not appear to be that old. She in fact looked younger from what I remember her being. She was definitely shorter. "How is it possible for you to have known us all for that long?"

"I've taken very good care of my body?" Esther suggested but then laughed it off. "No. That is an excellent observation, though. I am currently 15 years old, going on 16 in a couple months. The reason why is because I met you all as a spirit."

"A spirit?" Leviathan repeated.

"I think now I should explain from the beginning now, or rather… _before_ the beginning," Esther chuckled as she rephrased herself. "38 years ago, I was born into a low-class town. I was a weak child and could hardly leave the confines of my own house. My family couldn't afford the required treatments, so they played safe and kept me inside and away from harm. Everything I learned came from my family: how to read, how to write, happiness, sorrow, everything. It was when I was sixteen when I absolutely wanted to go outside. Just once. So my parents took me to the beach."

I then recalled the moment of my battle with Loreto, or Esther. She had mentioned how being at the beach was so nostalgic for her(2). It took her back to the days when she felt "alive." Now I realized just what she meant. Now I understood. She was calling out to me ever so silently.

"It was the highlight of my life," Esther continued. "It… also was my undoing. All the excitement tired me out and... just like that I was gone. When I awoke, I was nothing but a spirit. I freaked out at first, going through buildings. I couldn't bear to see my family, I only saw them once after my death but that was much… much later. I continued wandering. Even though I knew it wasn't good, I just wanted a chance to actually _live_ even if it meant breaking the rules of the afterlife."

"The rules of the afterlife?" Belphegor repeated for clarification.

"Human lives continue in circles," Mammon explained(3). "Once one ends, its spirit, if deemed worthy, will return to life once again."

"What does it take to be deemed worthy?" Lussuria asked.

"Your actions in your life," Mammon answered. "In life, there are three people: the good, the bad, and the saintly. The saintly are worthy for what we call heaven, the bad are sent to what is known as hell, and the good, which is pretty much in between, are sent to complete another circle of life. Wandering spirits are in complete violation of this, because overtime they become malevolent. They eventually forget who they used to be and lose every _human_ aspect of themselves."

"Precisely! So I was a very bad rule-breaker," Esther summed up. "I continuously escaped the elevator man and the guys upstairs(4). I just had to live a little before I could finally pass on. For a while, that was just what I did, until I met Squalo one night and… well, we met and I began to watch over him! He used to be such a troubled child, I just had to take him under my wing!

"So that was what I did. That was when I became a big trouble maker! Not only was I extending my stay in the land of the living, but I was now fraternizing with the living as well! I followed Squalo throughout his young life, guiding him as much as I could. However one day, I had to pay my dues. While Squalo had gotten older, that was when I was found out."

I recalled to my days in the academy, when Esther seemed to be in and out of my life. I wasn't sure if I had just been mistaking it, or maybe I was just spending more time with Dino and Xanxus, but now it began to make a little more sense.

"The guys upstairs were upstairs and they told me I was long overdue to start my new life. I begged them though. I just had to keep watching over Squalo, especially since… this was the time of his life when he was growing the most. When he was making friends with scary sons of the Vongola and making goals to kill the Sword Emperor. Every guardian wants to see that, to see their kid blossoming so. Maybe not in the exact same way, but still… I wouldn't miss it for another life.

"They however, wouldn't take it. So I made them a bargain… I would start a new life for them, but I wanted to continue helping Squalo. They discussed it for a while and I was finally allowed, as long as I helped them with something. So for a long time, I began to set things up for my next life. I set everything up so that my memories would remain intact or at least could be put back together overtime. This however took a lot of time and energy. I'm sure… whenever I met with Squalo again he could just barely see through me."

I remembered the day of training I skipped when Esther had come. I really wasn't imagining it. She really did seem different. She was running low on energy, that's why…

"I of course visited a lot of times, many times when Squalo couldn't see me. I didn't really want him to notice just how weak I was getting… I remember watching his battle with the Sword Emperor, I even attended that meeting you guys had when you were planning for the coup d'état on the Vongola. I also was there for the Cradle Affair and that was when I saw you all in action. I was sure then, that I had guided Squalo to the right place, I'm sure. Eventually though, everything was ready, and I had weakened a lot throughout the years. The timer was counting down to my last hours so I decided to visit Squalo one last time before I went."

That night when I was on the roof, the night sixteen years ago when Esther disappeared.

"The last bit of my plan relied on him. I had set an extra something for you all, the freeing on your leader."

"You… You did that?!" Leviathan asked.

"Yep," Esther smiled with pride. "It wasn't easy either. The guys upstairs weren't sure if that was going to help, but I convinced them and I told them it would help me on the mission they had appointed me with. So when the day came, Varia would be put back together again.

"What was the question again…? My age? Right, so it was sixteen years ago when I finally ascended to take one last scolding from the guys upstairs. There was a rest period of a year, which I spent bored out of my mind! Then I was born. Just as I had planned, most of my memories were intact, and the rest came in eventually. So, now I'm alive again and I'm 15 years old."

"So… why did you join Merlo?" Mammon asked.

"It was part of my mission," Esther answered curtly.

"And that was…?"

"To save Vongola," Esther answered. "See the guys upstairs had already foreseen Vongola's undoing in the future. This, of course, is totally not good! I then nominated myself to stop this from happening. The base of the problem was Merlo. Merlo is an assassination squad and although it had stated that it went renegade, that was a lie. Merlo is in fact a squad made of assassins from a bunch of different mafia families, all with one goal…"

"To end Vongola," I finished.

"Exactly," Esther said. "It was five years ago when Marcello and I met. Together… we formed Merlo and began recruiting other members. The name was my idea, he-he, but I digress(5). I was valuable in their eyes. Specifically speaking… I was valuable in Marcello's eyes. We were the founders of Merlo, him being the leader of course. I had to gain his trust, I had to become a member, so that they we never see my betrayal coming. I went so far as to even…"

Esther stopped for a moment and took a breather before taking off her white gloves. There on her right hand, was a ring. It was a simple ring, nothing fancy or noticeable under the glove. It was a band of metal with a small diamond imbedded in it.

"I am Marcello's fiancé, we plan to be wed once Vongola has been reduced to rubble(6)," Esther spoke in a droning voice that was void of life. For as long as I have known her, I have never heard nor seen her so lifeless ever before. "It was all to bring down Merlo. All of it."

"But Merlo still won the tournament, Merlo is now _in_ Vongola," Leviathan spoke painfully. The words were difficult for him to say. Hell, it was painful for all of us to _think_.

"That was all in plan as well," Esther explained further. "I planned to bring Merlo down through Varia. However, I never foresaw that we would end up in a tie after the Mist battle, or that Squalo would challenge me at the last moment. I however had a failsafe, in case something happened. I know it was unfair but Merlo needed to win. Everything just needed to go according to plan. Now Varia can take down Merlo.

"I have seen you all fight and now I've seen much more. I _know_ you can take down Merlo. I just needed Merlo to overlook you just this one time so that they would not expect you to be their undoing. Before you ask, _no_, defeating Merlo in the tournament would not have stopped them. They would see Vongola as a larger threat with Varia, they would only come back again and hit harder."

"But you already told them everything about us," Leviathan spoke with rage in his tone.

"Not everything," Esther said. "I only told them what I had seen in the Cradle Affair, and really it wasn't a lot. I followed Squalo and Xanxus and saw you all in action, but that was it. I saw Leviathan's Levi Volta, Belphegor's knives, Lussuria's Muay Thai and metal knee, a little bit of Mammon's illusions, and Xanxus's Flames of Wrath. For Squalo I knew only of his attacks that he used against the Sword Emperor Tyr, but that was it. You have all developed some new tactics since then, you've shown it.

"Belphegor, the trap you had set up for Aero was something none of us expected to see, and that's probably why you won. Aero never expected that and neither did I.

"Leviathan, I only ever saw your Levi Volta. Lluks never saw your… lunge with your parabola coming. Lluks had only prepared a diversion for your Levi Volta.

"Lussuria, Root even said he was not told about your other metal plates. Root's just a very good… adlibber and is very flexible with the change of tides…

"Mammon, you were the one we knew least about. Hou Po is however a very talented illusionist, all his abilities come from ancient Chinese ways spanning back 4,000 years ago.

"Squalo, I only told Vellalar about your arm and your _Scontro di Squalo_, and nothing else. I never expected him to actually bring a mace though. His normal weapon of choice is a spear, as you saw."

"But why my _Scontro di Squalo_? Why not any other move?" I asked her.

"Squalo, honey, please," Esther responded with sass. "That was the move that _made_ you the Sword Emperor! The move that killed Tyr. _Seriously_, think about it, it's an obvious choice."

I was silenced.

"As for our sword battle... well, what do expect when you attack the one who knows all about you?" Esther smirked. "As much as I didn't want to fight you, I had to win. I know what a great swordsman you are, so I was already at a disadvantage. That's why I got you angry. I kept playing the passive role at first, not making any hits on you. Then when you started getting a little serious, I just sent the spark into a flame, no pun intended, sorry about that by the way. I kept stating the flaws to your attacks in order to enrage you further, but that wasn't enough. Hurting your pride is one thing, but I took the chance and hit you right in your mind and heart. I told you I ended... well my own life, which was not entirely a lie, just to send you over the edge. I just never expected you to speed up at that last moment... so then I had to rely on the failsafe."

"So… what do you need us to do?" Belphegor asked. He looked very stiff. In fact his body language was entirely off. He wasn't smirking. He wasn't leaning back with his feet up, or with his shoulders slouched. His back was straight and his lips were pursed into a serious look.

"Defeat Merlo," Esther answered. "Unlike the tournament battle though, _I_ will be on your side, and _I_ will tell _you_ about _them_. I know _all_ their attacks their methods and their weaknesses."

There was silence amongst us as we all took the current situation into consideration.

"Even if you say no to my help…" Esther continued, "I know you all well enough to know you want Merlo gone. Whether you won or lost, it's not in your _nature_ to just allow your opponent to walk away. I can help you do that. In fact, I can ensure your victory. You can head to Vongola right now, and fight them for all its worth, but you will get nowhere. If you want to win and get back into Vongola, and restore your _pride_ as assassins, you'll invest your trust in me."

"What about Merlo, won't they wonder where you are?" Lussuria pondered. "While you are helping us, they'll begin to notice you've wandered off. They might suspect you…"

"Oh don't worry," Esther smiled. "I have already taken a mission in Merlo. They expect me to be here and there."

"What about Boss?" Leviathan asked and Esther's smile flipped over.

"He's the one we're going to have to find. We can't fight Merlo without him, that's for sure. We'll have to find him first… and then we have to make a clever plan to bring him back. I'm sure however that _that_ task is not going to be an easy one…"

"Then… you have my cooperation," Leviathan said first. "As long as you can bring Boss back, you will have it."

"Same here," Belphegor's smirk appeared again. "Doesn't matter when or how, I just want to get back at the smug little peasants who dared to challenge us."

"I too am in agreement," Mammon joined in. "It's just what we do in Varia. We don't let our foes escapes. The moment they become our targets, their deaths are ensured by _our _hands."

"Mmhmm!" Lussuria hummed with a smile on his face. "If everyone else is coming back together, then who am I to back out? We are Varia!"

"Thank you all for understanding," Esther smiled to us all but then her eyes, and I'm sure everyone else's eyes, fell unto me. "Squalo… what do you think?"

"What do I think?" I repeated and scoffed as I lowered my head from their stares. "Esther, after all these years, I thought you were dead! I thought I'd never see you again. I thought you were my guardian, but that… that was just a lie… Now here you are, in a new life… and _you're still watching out for me_! After all this time…?"

"Squalo," Esther spoke. "I may not have been your _guardian_… but never doubt that I watched over you all these years and I still am. Defeating Merlo is not just my debt to the guys upstairs… but it's the one last thing I _have_ to do… to save you; all of Varia. If you guys don't join now… I won't be able to stop Merlo when they come hunting you down. So… if not for yourself, then do it for me, Squalo."

"I trusted you, Esther," I said, my head still down and away from view. I let whatever hair left on my head created shadows to further veil my face. "I trusted you then… and I trust you now."

"Squalo…!" Esther let out almost breathlessly.

"Let's go find the boss."

* * *

Niko: Oh where, oh where has Xanxus gone? Oh where, oh where can he be~? (Hehee~ I just had to add that in)

So now we've finally found out who Loreto is and just how Merlo knows so much about Varia. Now Varia is going to take back what's theirs, after reuniting with their boss over course, but where is Xanxus, and _will_ he return to Varia?

**Notes:**

1. I keep imagining that although Esther is one of the youngest in the room, she acts like an encouraging teacher (like the kind everyone in the class likes) and treats the members of Varia like preschoolers

2. Just in case it wasn't clear, Loreto was born in the same town as Squalo. So when they were both feeling nostalgic about the beach (before their battle) they were thinking back to the same place

3. I'm pretty sure Mammon mentions this during his battle against Mukuro (the Mist Ring Battle), that's why he knows the "rules of the afterlife"

4. Okay so this is a big reference to one of my few favourite Hong Kong dramas: **My Date with a Vampire**(it's not just romance, it ties in religion and philosophy and mythology in a way that it all makes sense, my gosh it is a stunning story! I just wish I could find it with English subtitles). I was inspired while watching it, and this refer's to one of my favourite characters: the elevator man (I don't really know his real name...). The elevator man's job is to take souls to their next life.

5. So Merlo's name was Esther's idea. I'm sure some of you looked it up, but Merlo in Italian means "blackbird" and this little detail was a clue to figuring our who Loreto was.

6. I'm just going to mention that Marcello is like... twice Esther's current age... so he's 30-ish (then again, Esther is _technically_ 38, but it still is a bit... weird)

*Also, the title is a reference to **Little Lion Man** by Mumford and Sons, I think its lyrics are a good representation of Squalo and Loreto's relationship

**There's another reference out there that I am... rather embarrassed to say that I used... I will applaud you if you find it though.

Well then, that's all there is to say about this chapter. What can I say about the next chapter (as I am currently writing it)? It will be longer than this one... It was influenced by **Phantom of the Opera** in some ways... and... it will be out next week and there will be something special in it.  
What's the special something? You'll just have to wait and see!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, feel free to leave a review if you'd like!


	9. Living for My Dying Wish

Niko: Hey hey heeeey there everyone! It's time for another chapter! So last chapter, we found out who Loreto was, and now with the help of Esther, Varia has begun being put back together. There's still one last piece though: Xanxus. Will he join back or has he truly thrown Varia away?

Let's read and see!

**I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!**

* * *

**Living for My Dying Wish  
**

So the days went by and the remaining members of Varia stayed in Esther's summer cottage.

Each of us still needed rest. I had to wait for my arm to heal and eventually to get that cast off. Leviathan eventually had to get the stitches out, which was when Esther invited a family friend to assist with that. Belphegor however was in the worst shape. I found out that he couldn't exactly lay on his back just yet and walking was a little difficult. Every day he was accompanied by Mammon to do some walking practices.

Something I forgot to mention. Belphegor suffered a loss, similar to mine, although his might not grow back. The burns had burned the back of his head, from the hair to his scalp. He wore a toque over his head in order to hide this, but we all figured it out(1).

My hair was uneven, to say the best. The front and side bangs were untouched, but the back was cut short and frayed. Why Xanxus would do that, I have no idea. Perhaps... he truly had thrown me away, perhaps not just me.

He may have even thrown away Varia.

I never voiced out these thoughts to the others, there was no point in telling them. It would only cause unnecessary worry. So I kept my mouth shut as we all slowly recovered.

Life at Esther's summer cottage wasn't _bad_. It was definitely different from our usual livelihood. Esther wasn't always there, she would often be out, but she would always be back for meal times. As for us, since we were fugitives now, we stayed in and kept all the curtains shut. There wasn't much we could do, but Esther kept looking for things for us.

Early in the morning, she would wake us all up for breakfast. She had set up a chart for different chores, all set up in a rotary manner. Every day there would be two people in charge of cooking, two different people in charge of washing the dishes, one different person in charge of the remote and the last person was in charge of setting and clearing the table.

Esther would leave often times for certain things, mainly shopping. She would get groceries at least once a week, depending on how much we ate. Other times, she went to buy necessities like clothing and new remotes. I will not begin to remember how many things we broke during our stay. So while she was out, we stayed in.

Video games turned out to be the best way of killing time, albeit hectic. Although half-way through, there would always be that _one_ person to stop and have a tantrum and rile us all up into a little fight. Watching the television was difficult though. We all had different tastes and often times those tastes would conflict with each other. Fighting was definitely a _no-no_, as Esther had put it. We weren't allowed to fight and we weren't allowed out.

_Fuck_ how did we last all those days? I'm feeling bored just remembering it all!

Eventually later we found out just what mission Esther had taken upon herself in Merlo. Apparently Merlo, as if we didn't already know, was a bunch of liars and cheats. They had specifically given us a year to _attempt_ to run from them, however they had prepared for that. Esther's job was to research and locate our positions for the year.

Some of us were shocked when we heard this, but then we all understood. Esther was giving them fake information.

"You should have seen the look on your faces!" Esther spoke between bouts of laughter. "Of course I'm giving them false information! I told them Lussuria was in Spain, Belphegor was in England, Mammon was in Taiwan, Squalo was in Russia, and Leviathan was in Cuba. You guys looked so funny! Oh gosh! I can't breathe!"

Somehow, for the first time in a while, we all joined in. I wasn't sure if we had all lost our minds or if we really did look funny, or maybe both. I just knew that we laughed for a long time.

One day, it was Belphegor and Mammon's turn to cook. Lussuria was the one in charge of the remote, and we watched dramas for the entire day, so mealtimes were like a beacon of hope. We were desperate for _anything_ to get away from the dramas.

Levithan and I were in charge of washing the dishes, so it was Esther's turn to set the table up for everyone. Once we were all seated and about to dig into our dinner, Esther stood up and clapped out a rhythm of claps. She had an expectant smile as we stared back in silence, our cutlery in our hands.

"You guys are supposed to clap back," Esther stated(2), but by then we had all forgotten the pattern. I didn't really give a damn to commit it to my memory. I was hungry!

"You guys are no fun~" Esther rolled her eyes and sat back down in her seat. "Well, since I've got your attention, I might as well give you the news. I found Xanxus."

"What?"

"How?"

"When?"

"Where?" We were all buzzing with the same questions. Forget food, if she had found Xanxus, we had to know!

"Okay, okay, calm down, children!" Esther raised her hands up and motioned for us to quiet down and sit back in our seats. "Like I said, my mission in Merlo is to track down you guys. I have however been tracking down Xanxus. While I'm out of the house, if I'm not shopping, I've been asking around and searching. I've also been using some of the tech in the Vongola to find him. That's _how_.

"_When_ I found him, was a couple days ago, but since he was on the move I had to figure out a plan of action and figure out where he's going next.

"_Where_ he is, is in Italy. For some reason, he hasn't fled the country, maybe he _wants _Merlo to come and catch him. I don't really know."

"So then, where do you think he's going to next?" Leviathan asked.

Esther had a smile on her face when she answered, "Check the date, guys." In the small dining room, Esther had placed a calendar. It took a moment until I saw a square marked "_Martedi Grasso_".

"_Carnevale di Venezia_!" Of course! The time of the year when everyone in Venice is costumed and in masks and everything is festive. If Xanxus went there, clothed with a mask and a costume, he would go unnoticed. Once in there, Merlo won't be able to find him for a while, since they would lose him in the crowds. Xanxus had expected that he would be followed by Merlo!

"Yay! Gold stars for everyone!" Esther clapped when we had figured it out(3). "So basically, we're all leaving the house to join the festivities. I have already created a little battle plan that… you guys _might_ like, but we'll discuss that later, once we're done eating!"

Food? What food? It was done in a flash. We didn't care about food right now, we wanted to know the plan so that we could get on to finding the boss. Levi and I cleaned all the dishes with more energy than usual and then we were down in the basement, to discuss Esther's plan.

"Okay, so… like I said earlier, you guys _might_ like this plan… or you might _hate_ it… but…"

"Voi! It doesn't matter what we have to do! We just have to get boss back!" I cut her off before she could continue to ramble.

"Whatever you say!" Esther smiled and began to explain. "So first and foremost, each of you will be masked and in costume. I will handle those, unless anyone would like to help me?"

"Ooh! I volunteer!" Lussuria smiled. I was sure that behind his tinted glasses, his eyes were probably glowing right now.

"Lovely, we'll get done faster with more help. So my plan is that once we find Xanxus, we have to slowly edge him out of the crowd."

"How're we going to do that?" Belphegor asked. "Boss isn't…_exactly _the easiest person to persuade."

"Bait!" Esther smiled. "There are six of us. Five of us will surround Xanxus from afar, but one of us will be the one to slowly pull from away from the crowd. However, we can't give ourselves away. Xanxus cannot know it is us, judging from what he did to Squalo… says he won't be easy to approach once he knows you guys are out there."

"So then how can we pull him out?" Mammon asked. "We must keep ourselves hidden yet recognizable enough to allow Boss to follow us?"

"That's the thing, you don't need to be recognizable. If Xanxus should see you, he shouldn't be able to recognize you. You're just another person in the crowd, except for the one who's bait. The bait must be…"

"An attractive woman," Belphegor finished. "No _man_ can possibly sway the Boss, but a woman might if only temporarily."

"Bingo! Point for the Prince!" Esther smiled and her words put a small smile on Belphegor's face. "Yep, so this is the part where you guys might not like. One of you has to dress as an attractive woman."

There was only silence.

"Okay, let's start with reasons why each of you can't play the part, Levi, you start," Esther pointed at Levi.

"Uh… well…"

"Exactly!" Esther interjected. "Levi's voice is too low a pitch, Xanxus will see right through him! That and… well, sorry to say, Levi, but I'm not sure if you look very ladylike. Next, Luss!"

"Hmm, well I can't say that many women have my hairstyle, plus I'm basically blind without my glasses, what else…? Well my muscular built isn't very womanly."

"That's true," Esther nodded. "The hair and the glasses we can fix with the costume and the mask, but body shape is important. Mammon?"

"I'm sure my illusions will be required in case things go out of hand. If I were to be bait, I might not be able to focus on both tasks at once."

"Hrm," Esther moved her head from side to side as she contemplated that reasoning. "I suppose so. Your abilities as an illusionist and a spellcaster could definitely come in handy in case things take a turn for the worst. Alright then, Bel?"

"Ushishishi… because I am a Prince," Bel first said(4). "Also because I doubt that an attractive woman would have so little hair or poor stance."

"Very true," Esther smiled, glad that Belphegor laughed. "Hair we can fix… stance is a little trickier… Mmhmm, Squalo?"

"Why don't you play that rule?" I asked instead. It made sense, didn't it? Among the six of us, Esther was the only female. It would only be appropriate for her to do it.

A dark blush appeared on Esther's face.

"Great subtlety, Squalo," Lussuria mocked and I realized the double meaning behind my words(5).

"Voi! I didn't mean it like that! I-I mean that since _you_ are a woman why don't you… VOI! SHUT YOUR MOUTHS, DAMN IT!" All due to a simple question and some dirty minds, the basement erupted with the sounds of laughter and my yells. I did not mean it like _that_! Perverts!

"Well um… thank you for the mention, Squalo," Esther said, trying to hide her blush. "But the reason why I can't is because the likelihood of Xanxus recognizing me. I was found out when I approached you guys, so I'm sure Xanxus will recognize me as Merlo quickly as well."

"We _are_ Varia," Mammon said. "We're not easy to trick."

"So Squalo, what are your reasons?" Esther asked.

"Body structure, hair and voice," I answered sharply.

Esther sighed, "I suppose that it is true. A lady shouldn't be yelling all the time…" Esther let out another sigh before sitting back down and staring at each one of us. Then suddenly her expression turned cold and harsh.

"Alright… Okay, no matter what, _one_ of you five is going to take the fall and be bait. You guys are _assassins_. I'm pretty sure, by experience, that you guys have done weirder things than cross-dressing. You all have five minutes of private discussion, before I come back down here with my sketchbook." Before we could say a word, Esther had gotten up from her seat and walked up the stairs and out of the basement.

"I'm _not_ doing it," Belphegor first stated.

"We all don't want to do it, but we have to remember that this is probably the only way to get Xanxus to even pay attention to us," Lussuria reminded us all.

"Why can't we just… I don't know, bait him with food?" I asked.

"Perhaps because we've seen just how boss reacts when we serve him food we've cooked ourselves," Mammon said and a cold chill ran down my spine. "Personally, I don't really feel like hiring a cook for this task…"

There was one time when the cooks had demanded a vacation and we gave it to them. For that entire day, Xanxus ordered _us_ for his meals. We worked hard… I guess. Well, we made what looked like a pretty decent steak, but Xanxus tossed it to the ground the moment the plate touched the table. It took us so long to make that steak…

"If… if it is to get boss back…"

"Levi don't you even finish that sentence, there are some _things_ that should not be seen in this world," Mammon cut Leviathan off before he could finish and spoke what we all wanted to say. We understand that Leviathan _really_ respects the boss and all… but one day, he's got to open his eyes and realize that he's just _really_ annoying.

"Why can't Lussuria just do it, perverted things like this are his forte, right?" Belphegor asked, which resulted in a frustrated groan-squeal from Lussuria.

"I may be fashionable, but I am well a man!" Lussuria pouted. Just then the sound of the door opening caught our attention and there was Esther with her before mentioned sketchbook and several pencils in her other hand.

She returned to her seat and without explanation told us all to stand in a line in front of her. We were all confused as we stood in line. Esther then started to scan by each one of us before scribbling away into her sketchbook. What was she doing? Did this have anything to do with our plan to get Xanxus?

"Voi! Is this really necessary?" I asked, from my spot in the line.

"Shh!" was the only response I received. Well that was nice know. After about half an hour, filled with groaning, sketching, complaints followed with stern shooshes, Esther told us to return to our seats.

"Alright," Esther said and examined her sketchbook for a moment. "So Levi is definitely out, your body type is definitely not that of an _attractive_ woman's… no offence."

So that was what she was doing. She was sketching us to eliminate the possibilities by our body types. Well… I suppose that was a good idea.

"Lussuria is a bit too muscular around the upper body," Esther continued on. "The shoulders are too wide for a female's. Belphegor's might work, but then there is the stance… Mammon's may work as well, although he's very short… Squalo's… might work."

"VOI! What the Hell?! I don't want to do it!" I got up from my seat. This was an insult to me. I was a man and I was not going to dress up as a woman.

"And what about Xanxus?" Esther asked sternly with an equally stern expression.

"That's true, Squ, if you really are the only one to fit, then you're our only hope of getting Boss back. Can't you swallow your pride just this one time?" Lussuria asked me. I felt all eyes on me and I hated every second of it.

I thought back to the vow I made to Xanxus. I began to wonder if that vow including dressing in drag and seducing him. Even so, we need to bring back Varia, we need to bring down Merlo, and we need Xanxus.

I sighed and answered. "Fine."

I ignored the explosion of cheers and laughter than followed in suit.

* * *

"Don't move!" Esther said.

"I'm not!"

At the moment my eyes were closed as I let Esther apply make up on my face. I kept reminding myself that this was all for Xanxus. All to bring Xanxus back to Varia and to gut Merlo right afterwards. I just need to bear with this humiliation for a little while longer. I guess… I could say I've been through worse. Although right now I'm not sure if getting eaten by a shark is worse than being turned into a girl.

My life sucks(6).

"Oh, Squ, your beautiful hair… I wish I could have been able to do this when it was longer…" Lussuria practically sobbed from behind me. "If it were as it used to be, I could do so much more with it…"

Ah yes, Esther and Lussuria were both in charge of girlifying me. The two of them worked out a design for my… dress, and made it together. I haven't seen it yet. They said they wouldn't let me see it until I was dressed in it… Make up was done by Esther, who was now running something cold against my eyebrows. Hair was Lussuria's department. He was thrilled, although he seemed heartbroken at the fact it had been cut by our boss, whom we are doing all this for.

"Remember Luss, we can't have his hair visible, or else Xanxus will recognize him," I heard Esther instruct Lussuria from in front of me.

"Wait… how can we prevent _that_? Of course he's going to see my hair—OW! What was that?!" I scowled in pain when I felt one… no make that two sharp pains at my earlobes.

"Oh uh… ear piercing, you know, for earrings," Esther's voice explained. I was tempted to rip my eyes open when I heard that.

"You did not say anything about _that_!" I scowled but kept my eyes closed(7).

"Hey, hey! Calm down, you'll mess up your lipstick!"

"VVVOOOOOIIIIIIII! GODDAMMIT ALL! THIS PLAN BETTER FUCKING WORK OR I'LL… VVVVVVVVOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

* * *

"Okay… okay, you can look now."

I opened my eyes and immediately I was stunned by the light. I took a moment to steady my vision, and watched as darkness blurred around, leaving an area white. Slowly, ever so slowly, the white silhouette appeared before me as a dainty woman.

She was dressed in a white silken dress, with sequin patterns that glittered and made her entire body sparkle greatly. Her dress hooded her head, hiding her hair, but letting her crystal earrings visible. Around her slightly wide shoulders was where the dress gathered, hiding her shoulders. Her arms were bare except for the string of beads that wrapped around the milky skin. Her hands were shielded with black gloves, soft and meant solely for show. A collection of beads, all strung up, crossed her torso reached her hips, where they hung idly by her thighs. Her dress continued down and ended at her feet, which were adorned with a pair of black flats.

The woman's face was stern, yet still held an essence of daintiness. Her skin was milky pale, which made everything else stand out. Her lips were painted crimson red, reminiscent of the eyes of Xanxus. Her eyes were lined, lightly, with black, and her eyebrows were coloured lightly. Her hair, unseen by others, was tied up into a tight bun behind her. Not a single strand escaped its clutches(8).

"What do you think?"

It was then I realized the woman before me was my own reflection. What did I think? It was amazing. I hardly could recognize myself! I absolutely looked as if I were a woman. I was speechless, completely and utterly speechless.

"Oh, and don't forget this… It _is_ a masquerade, paper faces on parade. Hide your face, so the world will never find you(9)," Esther said before she handed me a mask. It was beautifully crafted, similarly to hers. With a black metal columbina mask, meant only to cover the upper half of the face. On it edges were black feathers. Looking at the mask as a whole, it was a blackbird with its wings opened in flight.

"Esther…"

"I made some for everyone, come, let's meet up with them now!" Esther hurried me down the stairs from the washroom to the living room. There each of the Varia members stood, all prepped for the mission. There were all dressed in different outfits, some quite flamboyant and some a little more average. Their masks however were the most amazing(10).

Belphegor's mask was a Bauta with a wide smile painted over, quite like his usual self actually. The top of the mask however was pointed in a crown shape. Mammon wore a Medico della Peste mask with a decorated beak. The eyeholes were differently shaped to look a little more elegant. Lussuria also wore a columbina mask that was decorated like a peacock. Beneath the eyeholes were tinted lenses, which, I assume, are tuned to Lussuria's prescription. Leviathan wore a white volto mask that was marked with lightning symbols, all crawling over the surface of his mask. The facial expression of the volto looked stern and rather intimidating. Finally, Esther was wearing her usual Bauta mask, however the scars were gone and a new design was painted over it.

"Whoa, Squalo looks like a girl," Belphegor chuckled, although this time I let it slide. If it were any other time, I would have already started chasing after him, but not now. I was still amazed.

"Esther… did you make all of these?" I asked and pointed to my mask. She smiled and nodded happily in response.

"My… my new family is a family of mask makers… I guess I inherited some of their talents," Esther blushed at the attention she was getting. "A-anyway, it looks like we're all ready now. We can't all go in there together or else we might be spotted. So we'll go in pairs, it will look a little less suspicious that way. Levi, you and I will be paired together and we'll look for Xanxus, is that alright with you?"

"Understood," Leviathan nodded.

"Alright, the rest of you, pair up and be at the carnival grounds within the hour, but not all together, remember! Once Levi and I find Xanxus we'll call you all up through the wireless. Levi, let's get going."

With that, Esther and Leviathan left. Later on, Belphegor and Mammon left, than lastly Lussuria and I left. Much to my dismay, I went along with Lussuria's idea and strung my arm around his. We were paired up and we had to look inconspicuous. So with our arms locked together, we walked into the crowd.

Venice was alight with life. Everyone was dressed with masks of different colours and sizes. To further cover their bodies were robes that were equally as decorated. No doubt that they all wanted to win the contest for the best mask(11). Although there was so much joy and festivity, I could not help but hold a feeling of unease.

The last time I had gone to the Carnival of Venice, it was for a mission. Our target was apparently a spy from another family and had stolen some vital information from Vongola. The brat asked for Varia to take the job, saying it was of the utmost importance. However, much of our team had already been dispatched for other jobs across the globe. All that was left was me, Mammon, and Xanxus.

We had disguised ourselves just as he did now. I remember Xanxus donned a dark cape that wrapped all around him, and a strange columbina mask that only had one eye to hide the side of his face with more scars(12). I remember giving our target credit for choosing such a lovely playground to hide in. It took us a while, but we found him.

The unease that I feel now is the same unease I felt back then. All these people laughing and celebrating could be threats. They hid their faces so we could not read them, they hid their bodies so we could not see their weapons. Anyone of them could be our end. The only difference… this time I don't have my sword. As bait, I wasn't allowed to have my weapon, but everyone else had theirs ready beneath their layers of costume. All I had was Lussuria to protect me… and I hated it.

I hated this feeling of weakness and dependence. It made me want to retch.

Then I saw something. A blazing red orb embedded in a pool of white. I recognized that white mask. It was the one-eyed mask that Xanxus wore to the mission many years ago.

"Guys, found him," I hissed to the wireless, which immediately got Lussuria's attention, since I had kept silent all this time. "Around the north entrance, black cloak and a one-eyed white mask, should I get into position?"

"Good job, Squalo," I heard Esther respond. "You go on ahead with the plan, we'll be there shortly."

Alright. With that settled, I left Lussuria's side and dove deeper into the crowd. As I continued through, I never took my eyes off him. Back then, even now, he disguised himself so little, as if there was nothing he feared. Nothing he had to hide. I circled around him before I swiftly and purposefully bumped into him.

I held back all reaction when he turned to face me. It was him. Xanxus. Nearly a year without seeing him and now here he is. He was standing there before me and for a moment I nearly forgot the mission. I was a woman right now, and I had to slowly lead him off, but where?

He brought his hand out, as if to ask me for a dance. I decided that he was taking the bait, so I let my hand lock into his. As we drifted through the crowds, I was slowly brought back to all those banquets Varia would be invited to. Every now and then a woman dressed in her best gown would approach us and ask for a dance, some of us more than others. I would take a few, until I got tired of going in circles, then I would sit aside and watch the rest of the banquet unfold. Xanxus, however intimidating, attracted many women to ask for a dance. To him, I was just another one of those women.

There was a difference though. I was not a woman. I was his second in command and unlike all those women, I no longer feared him. With every matter of my body, I revered him as a knight would to his king. It did not matter if he had Vongola blood or not. I had vowed to him and only him.

The other difference was that he never once shifted his eyes off me. In his previous dances, his eyes would often drift eventually away from his partner. However now they kept locked with mine. I wondered now, could he see me through? If so, why hadn't he tossed me aside yet? If so, why did he still hold me with such gentleness? No, he must still think I am a woman. I closed my eyes, worried that he might stare into them and thus into me.

"Squalo," my eyes opened with the sudden call of me name, but then reason returned to me. The voice wasn't Xanxus's, it was from the wireless, Lussuria. "There should be a building close to you. There is a door and Belphegor and Mammon are there on the other side. Mammon is preparing an illusion for when you enter, so whenever you are ready, honey~"

So I had my location, now I just needed to get Xanxus over there. How? If I let go and run off, who is to say he would even think of following me? If I were to hold his hand and guide him there, would he rip his hand away and walk off? I don't know, but I needed something.

So I got it.

I felt something bump into me and a sting in my ankle, and I began to fall. Acting out of instincts, I landed on my feet and spread my arms out to stop my head from colliding with the floor. This movement however stretched the delicate wires the beads covered, which resulted in them snapping and letting the beads flee to the ground. I had twisted my ankle, the beads pitter-pattered around me, Xanxus gave his hand out to me once again. To which, I responded with a silent nod.

Without a word he lifted me up without any difficulty. Trying to play the role of a frantic woman, I pointed a shaky hand to the building where Mammon was waiting. Good, everything was going according to plan. Sure I didn't exactly mean to be carried like this, but if it got Xanxus to the building, well it was good enough for me.

"Don't die on me, scum."

I stopped breathing then, just as Xanxus opened the door. With me in his arms we entered the building, which lead to a royal hall. This royal hall… it was that of the Vongola's. Oh, so this was Mammon's illusion. I see.

"Boss!" Levi belted out and blew our cover, although I think by now our cover was already blown. After him, the rest of Varia appeared, along with Esther, who was hidden behind Leviathan's girth.

The arms around me disappeared and I felt myself fall. This time there were no beads on wires to restrict my movement as I landed perfectly on my feet and rose up beside Xanxus.

"How long have you pieces of trash been following me?" Xanxus asked, seeing through all our masks and costumes. Then one by one, we took off the masks, the veils, and the hoods, and wiped away whatever makeup was one our faces.

We had nothing to hide, just as he didn't either.

"We came to bring you back," I said taking the speaking role once again. "We're going to take back our place in Vongola and we're going to get rid of Merlo. We have everything we need, all we have left… is you. We can't be Varia without our leader."

Xanxus stared at me as if I hadn't said a single word, he always gave me that look no matter what I said. His eyes then drifted over to the others and then began to take steps towards them. I didn't know until I realized what he had spotted. I couldn't stop him, because it was already too late. His hand was in the air and with a swift swing and a loud slap of skin, a loud metal mask hit the floor, and Esther was exposed to Xanxus.

"You…"

"Yes… it was me," Esther answered, holding her stance firmly and trying not to waver. "I told Merlo about Varia. I got Varia back and told them to find you. I was the one who was following you since you had left. I… was also the one who saved you eighteen years ago and…" Esther was interrupted as a fist collided with her face. She was small and fell to the floor like a doll.

"Boss…" we all called but we wouldn't dare stop him.

"It was the only way!" Esther said as she struggled to get back on her feet. "You want to defeat Merlo don't you? You wouldn't let them just take what's yours… You walked out, Xanxus, remember? You didn't fight back that time… You, at that very moment, could have crushed all of my plans. In fact I thought you did when you fired that bullet… so why didn't you? You had the chance…"

Xanxus grabbed Esther by the back collar of her dress shirt, as if to prove just how small and weak she was in comparison(13). For a short moment the two of them just exchanged glares, and I began to wonder just what Esther was thinking. Had going through death and afterlife rendered her numb to fear? How could such a girl be bold enough to still look at, much less talk back to Xanxus? Just how strong was her will?

"I didn't ask you to save me," Xanxus spat at her, but she stayed strong.

"And I didn't ask you to miss the Vongola Decimo," Esther spoke back once again. "Let me ask you something, Xanxus, what does it tell you when an _assassin_ can't shoot straight? …It tells you there weren't really trying(14). You didn't miss the Vongola Decimo, you got just what you wanted on the bull's-eye, an opportunity for answers. But you know what? I saved your life, so you _owe_ me. Save Varia and in doing so you also save my life."

What…? I was about to ask but then I realized. Esther betrayed Merlo. From the very beginning, she never pledged her allegiance to Merlo. She was never in it for Merlo, she was in it for Vongola, for Varia, for me. Even now she was hiding fugitives from the Vongola and Merlo and giving them false information on their whereabouts. Esther was saving all our lives, by putting her own at risk. If we don't return to Vongola and defeat Merlo, she will be blamed. She will be found out and she will die. What's worse is that this was her mission from the guys upstairs, what will happen if she fails? How many punishments will await her if we fail?

"I know you of Varia _hate_ keeping debts," Esther spoke. "So do this and we'll be even. But no matter how great your pride is… you'll need me there to help. You don't have to ask, just say yes(15)."

Xanxus tossed Esther to the ground, a reaction we all did not see coming. We all stayed silent as the illusion covered room filled with the soft pants coming from Esther's young body. I knew it before and I know it now, what is someone so young doing with the Mafia?

"Hmph," our attention was caught as Xanxus turned his back to all of us. "So where are we going now, scum?"

Esther got up, refusing the help offered to her by Lussuria and stood on her own two feet. She pressed her lips into her usual encouraging smile.

"Let's go back… Varia."

We were together again. It took a dress and a mask and a dent in my dignity, but we finally did it. We were together again. This strange little group of killers, here we are. So where we headed now? We were off to kill again.

Such is the life of an assassin.

* * *

Niko: Yay! Varia's back together again! Yay!

**Notes:**

1. To be fair, it broke my heart to write this in. The idea just popped up shortly after writing Belphegor's fight with Aero and I thought "No... oh gosh, no..." But to keep the realism... I added it in

2. More of Esther treating Varia like preschoolers!

3. Did anyone out there ever once get a gold star when they were younger? My school never gave out gold stars. When I found out what they were I wanted one (this was fairly recent)

4. "_Datte ore wa oji damon_" again!

5. If you didn't catch it, the group is looking for someone to play the role of an "attractive woman" Squalo saying that Esther should do this sounds like he's saying she is an attractive woman, which sounds like he's hitting on her

6. Don't worry Squalo, I hate getting my make up done too (although I'd take make up and a dress over getting eaten by a shark...)

7. I... actually have a fear of getting my ears pierced... so I pity Squalo during this scene. I honestly do

8. If anyone is interested, I have a picture of Squalo in the dress up on my deviantART, just search up **Kimitori-J**, it should be one of the first pictures there

9. HERE is where **Phantom of the Opera** lyrics kick in! Lines from **Masquerade** (I honestly love how cheerful the song _sounds_, yet the lyrics are pretty macabre)

10. Some mask terminology: A Columbina mask covers the upper half of the face, a Bauta mask covers the entire face, a Medico della Peste mask is the beaked mask (also known as the mask worn by Plague Doctors), a Volto mask is similar to a Bauta where it covers the entire face but it has a smoother shape

11. There is actually a contest for the best mask during the Carnial of Venice.

12. Another reference to **Phantom of the Opera**, the mask is the one the Phantom wears at first (I really liked it and I thought it would work with Xanxus)

13. Anyone read **Requiem of Rain** and remember this? This was how Squalo's father grabbed Squalo.

14. Reference to **BBC Sherlock** again! I loved that line and it instantly made me think of Varia.

15. I think that this might be a bit vague, so I'll explain it a bit. Esther is basically saying she's the one asking for help.

*The title of this chapter are my favourite lines from the song **Give it All** from Rise Against

So, does anyone remember I mentioned that there's going to be a surprise in this chapter? Well part of the surprise was the masquerade in this chapter and Squalo wearing a dress, but the surprise isn't done yet!

It has to do specifically with today, so here is a little extra something:

* * *

**(Esther)**

**Beep Beep Beep Beep  
**

I sighed from my bed and glared daggers at my annoying alarm clock. As much as I knew I had to get up to buy groceries, I didn't want to leave the comforts of my bed(1). Ugh~ It's not fair! Why do I have to make more trips to the groceries now that Xanxus is here?

I sighed again because I knew the answer already, because that guy was a little prince. He won't work, all he does is eat and sleep! It's been a week and he acts like he owns the place! Ugh, he's just a stubborn little child! A stubborn little child who thinks he's a king and has the bullets and power to prove it. Geez…

I hit the thoroughly abused alarm clock and ended its calling. I pushed myself up and out of the bed and with wobbly feet I got readied myself for the day.

The other day, ugh, I don't even want to think about it. There was a Merlo meeting and they asked me for the information of each of the Varia members. I of course gave them false information. I told them that I had lost sight of Xanxus in the carnival, but I told them I assumed that he was headed for Switzerland. The meeting ended short on account that half of the members were absent. Some had taken off to hone their skill for the hunt, and specifically Lluks was never one to be at our meetings anyway. He was usually drunk and getting his ass handed to him by pub owners.

After the meeting though I had to put the mask on again. Not my white mask though, my Loreto mask. The mask I placed on all this time to get into Marcello's good books. The mask I wore as he ravished me with kisses and sweet words. I almost pitied him, he loved me and I was going to bring him to his death. I didn't love him though. It was all a visage; a mask if you will. As far as I was concerned I was just another one of his puppets. I held my breath as he pressed his lips to mine. I coaxed myself little by little to open up, to let him believe he has me.

All these years of planning, I can't let myself ruin it all because of a little kiss. So I let loose and let him have me.

"Morning," I was in the middle of brushing my teeth when I heard Squalo's voice behind me and I was reminded of what I was doing.

"Morning," I spoke with toothbrush still in my mouth. "Didn't get any sleep?"

"How'd you know?"

"The roof isn't the best," I spoke and watched as he took out his toothbrush. "I could hear footsteps creaking above me. They weren't light, so it couldn't have been Belphegor or Mammon. They weren't heavy, so that also rules out Leviathan and Lussuria. I have no idea what business Xanxus would have being up there. So that leaves you, who has a tendency to stand on rooftops. Process of elimination."

"Hm…" He hummed as he began to brush his own teeth(2).

There was a moment of silence between us, but from the mirror we stared at each other. He really had grown a lot during these past years. He was much taller than me. His hair looked nice when it was long, now… now he had his two long side bangs tied behind him into a tail.

"So…" I decided to make small talk. "We still have a couple months until we finally attack Merlo… have you thought about what you're going to do until then?"

"Train of course." Of course, I should have seen that coming. He always trains, he can't live unless he's moving about. Crazy kid. "If we clear up the basement, we might have a little room for some of us to train."

"Ever thought about getting a job?" I tried, and that obviously caught him off guard. "Yeah! Like you could be an English teacher or something!"

"Wait a minute."

"You can teach kids how to write!"

"What?"

"Inspire the youth through poetry!"

"Wait!"

"Improve the new generation with literature!"

"But!"

"Quick! What's the English word for _matita_?"

"PENSSSSSSSOAAAAARRGGGHHH!"(3)

Well that was terrifying. Of all the times I've seen Squalo fighting and killing, him with toothpaste on his lips yelling out… whatever _that_ was, was utterly terrifying. He looked like he had rabies. The incomprehensibly yelling didn't help it either. Gosh…

"Okay, never mind," I turned away. Ugh that was going to give me a couple nightmares.

"What's up with you anyway? You seem… drained," he asked me as I spat out the toothpaste. "You even missed dinner yesterday… it wasn't exactly pleasant, but still…"

"Merlo meeting," I answered curtly, I didn't want to go any further than that and not to Squalo. I knew he already felt somewhat guilty for all my troubles, but really… this was my choice. I chose to go to such long lengths.

"Oh… so you'll be going shopping?"

"Do we need to?" I asked, even though I had already planned to go.

"Not really."

"Oh… then I guess I'll be staying at home then," I rinsed my mouth and set my cup and toothbrush aside. "If you need me, I'll be in my room, knock first."

I heard Squalo say something behind me, but I just hummed back as I wobbled back to my room. I was still tired, normally brushing my teeth would help wake me up, but it was just as Squalo said, I was drained.

Back in my room I fell over my bed and surrounded myself with the covers. Ugh… It's almost over, I kept telling myself. It's almost over. Just a couple months and then we attack, then… then what? I don't even know.

I have no doubt that Varia will defeat Merlo and return to Vongola… but what about me? I was still a rule-breaker, having all of my memories from my past life. Heck, the reason I'm here is because I made a deal with the big guy upstairs… What will happen once I've fulfilled my part of the deal? Will I… will I die again? Will the elevator man come down and take me away or is that sounding too hopeful? I've broken so many rules… I may even go to Hell for all of this.

Down… down… all the way down to Hell with no hope of coming back. There's no point in running, they'll find me, they did before. There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. I'm done once this mission is done.

What will Squalo think though? Losing me for the second time? He'll probably never forgive me. I don't want that though. If I could…

I want to stay alive. I just want to _live_ for once! It's not fair! First time, I was too sickly and weak to live my life, and when I finally tried to, I _died_. Then as a spirit, I had to break so many rules just for a little freedom. Now… now I'm just living in accordance to a plan and when it's all over… When do I get to live? Just once… just once I just want to…

**Knock knock knock knock knock knock!**

"Voi! Esther! Hurry downstairs!"

I sat up quickly, my breath escaping me entirely. It was Squalo's voice from the other side of my door and his fist that was colliding with it. I don't know how long I had been sleeping, but the sky was dark. What had happened? I whipped the covers away and I ran to the door.

No one was there.

"Esther! Hurry!"

I could hear my own feet thunder down the stairs. Everything seemed clear. The living room was empty and untouched, so then I headed to the dining room and there it was. Before I could register the sights, the sounds came in. First came the popping sound of gunpowder, then something shot out at me.

"Surprise!"

Confetti. I looked around in shock and quickly everything began to make sense. The popping sound of gunpowder came from the party poppers, which shot out the confetti. Everyone in Varia, even Xanxus, was seated at the dining table with colourful party hats. On the dining table was a cake, which they obviously did not make because it looked really well made.

"You guys… why… it's not my birthday…"

"We guessed it probably wasn't," Lussuria said. "But Squ said that today was the day you met Squalo, so we decided we would celebrate!"

"Mammon used his illusions to leave the house and get the cake… although now we owe him for the cake and the decorations… and the party poppers," Belphegor snickered as he slung his arm around the shorter Mammon.

"With interest compounded monthly," Mammon added.

"But… you guys really didn't have to go through so much trouble for me," I said looking at them all. "This is… just… wow, thank you. Just, thank you all."

"Come on, make a wish so we can cut the cake and eat, already!" Squalo urged me into my seat as Leviathan lit the candles and Lussuria turned the lights off to let the candle light dance in the darkness.

I stared at the cake as some of the members sang out a birthday song, even though it wasn't my birthday. On the top, written in icing was "You're Alive!" I felt like crying then and I think I may have let a single tear run down unnoticed by the others. I took a deep breath in to calm myself down, before blowing out the candles.

"Alright! Let's eat~!" Lussuria then proceeded to cut the cake and gave me the first slice.

How long had it been since I had celebrated my birthday? 5 years? I was 10 when I sold my life to Merlo. Gosh how time flies. I would never have foreseen this. Celebrating my life with the members of Varia. I never imagined this would happen.

"Voi, Esther…" It was then I realized more tears had fled from my eyes. "Are you… alright?"

"Yes!" I said a little too happily, but at the moment I was so happy. "I'm happy. I so very happy! Ehe! Thank you all! For this and for everything! Thank you for trusting me and thank you for supporting me! I just… ehe! Ehehehe!"

We continued that night with laughter and fun. I thought I wasn't living, but here I am, surrounded by such wonderful people. Assassins they may be, but still wonderful people they are also.

What did I wish for?

Ehehehe~

I can't tell or else it might not come true.

* * *

Niko: There we have it! A special added bit for today. It's so special, I didn't even plan it before hand, it was just a spur of the moment.

**Extra Notes:**

1. This is basically me in the morning...

2. If this were written in Squalo's perspective, he would have said this, "Thank God there's no glue..." (I'm sorry, I just can't get that out of my head)

3. Referencing to the mini comic where Squalo is shown as an English teacher (but gosh please, someone improve the new generation with literature, for the love of literacy!)

*Guess what today is? Hehehe! Today is... my birthday! :D

So that's all for today. The next chapter is going to be the last. Big Chapter Number 10. We'll see what happens next week! See you all until then!

Thank you for reading, feel free to leave a review if you'd like!


	10. Only and Forever

Niko: Hello everyone. Well today's the day, it's time for this story to finally end. It's so surprising really, I spent a long while trying to finish **Requiem of Rain** and **BREAK OUT** took just less than a summer vacation's worth of writing. Still, I'm so proud of this story and how the response I've gotten from all you readers.

By the way, sorry for how late this story is, it's an extra long chapter (just like it's prequel, I didn't recognize just _how much_ had left to tell, oh well!)

I hope you enjoy this final chapter of **BREAK OUT**!

**I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!**

* * *

**Only and Forever  
**

It seemed like the Cradle Affair all over again. Blowing a hole in the side of the Vongola building and rushing on in. Good times.

This time though, we were all together, because our aim was different this time around. We weren't aiming to take over Vongola. We were aiming to defeat Merlo and bring some sense back into the Vongola. We didn't care if Vongola agents came at us, we'd beat down all the obstacles that get in the way of our prize.

Just as the previous time, we had made a plan to claim it.

This time, we would.

* * *

"What do you mean?!"

"No way!"

"Hey! Sit your asses back down!" Esther snapped. We all quickly learned that Esther, albeit playful and childish, could also be firm. After her word we sat back down and waited for an explanation. "Now I know you don't like it, but I don't want you fighting the same person from Merlo this time around."

"Why the Hell not?" I barked back. Even though I had won my battle, I still had a debt to pay back to that foreigner. I could also tell that everyone else wanted to payback for their injuries. Whether they won or not, we wanted their heads. "This is a matter of pride!"

"Well imagine how much pride you'll have when you have your asses handed to you," Esther answered back. "Each of the members knows about you, but _only_ you. If they beat you before, they can do it again. That's why I'm suggesting you all fight someone else this time around. But hey! I'm _just_ spoon feeding you the victory! You can take it or lose. It's your choice."

With that we all kept silent and listened to what Esther had to say.

"Alright so this is my idea for the fights," Esther began and started by pointing at Leviathan. "Levi, I want you up against Aero, the archer. In all honesty, Aero is all talk, his body as a fighter is frail. He's good with long-distance fighting and rarely misses. However his reflexes and senses are poor when his target is closer to him. Close-combat is the best way to beat him, use that… lunge thing you did on Lluks, he'll never see it coming. If possible, even trap him with your Levi Volta. Everything clear?"

"Understood," Leviathan nodded in his seat. From his eyes, you could see the determination in them. Well I choose to call it determination, others would call it bloodlust.

"Alright, Belphegor, you'll be fighting Vellalar, the foreigner with the spear. On average, Vellalar will have about twelve spears with him on hand. Ten of his spears are made to be thrown, while the last two are specifically made for close-combat. Needless to say, try not to get too close to him. He may not look like a fast person, but he can be very swift with his spears. Also, some of his spears, not all, may contain poison as well. I'm sure you already know to dodge them, but just to add a little more incentive. His weak spot… would be his back. If you're quiet enough, sneak behind him and go straight for the jugular, no mercy or anything. Got it?"

"Of course, ushishishi~" Belphegor went into a quiet fit of controlled snickering.

"Mammon, you're going to up with Lluks, the one with the coin, which by the way is rigged, it's two-faced. Lluks is a tricky bastard and will always _act_ like he has the upper hand. However, inside he is a scared little boy, the kind who dreams of being a pirate. He's sinking in debts, he's been kicked out of more pubs than I can count, and he owes his own mafia family millions. If it'll help," Esther walked over to Mammon and gave him a photograph of a man. "That is the face of the Don of his family. Lluks is also afraid of the gallows and he's terrified of swimming, he's really a huge scaredy-cat, I think he may even be afraid of Marcello and Hou Po."

"Hmph, how droll," Mammon pulled of a smirk. "Underneath that idiotic and foolhardy bravado is a child terrified of the shadows…I'll have fun with this one…"

"Good then! Next is Hou Po, he's is definitely one of the more difficult opponents. He's not exactly… right in the head. He always has a smile on his face, but he's twisted underneath that smile. That is why I decided Lussuria should take him on. Before you ask, Lussuria, take your glasses off."

"Hm…?" Lussuria did as he said and we were quickly welcomed by the sight of Lussuria's eyes once more. It was a rare sight to see and quite unusually after getting used to seeing him with his sunglasses.

"You can't see anything without your sunglasses," Esther continued. "Just by removing your sunglasses, we've eliminated one of your senses. And… Mammon?"

"Senses are the doorways to perception," Mammon answered to his cue. "And they can be _easily_ tricked, especially sight."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Esther smiled and returned her attention back to Lussuria. "You'll be fighting Hou Po blind but you'll be protected from the brunt of his illusions. Without his illusions, Hou Po is weak. He's not a fighter. He's a magician with a couple of parlour tricks. Honestly, he's a toothpick and bruises easier than a banana."

"Interesting…" Lussuria smiled. "Almost sounds a bit fun… Ooh! Now I'm excited! I'm itching all over and jittery! I can't wait~"

"Lovely. Next is Squalo, I want you to fight Root. Root is a sneaky little devil, I'll give you that. He observes his opponents from afar before going into action. Therefore he's usually not the one to make the first move. My advice, don't hit him with everything you've got beforehand, but instead, rile him up."

"So pretty much, like our battle…?" I asked, referring to our sword battle, when I was trying to get Esther to fight back and she was pretty much doing the same thing.

"Precisely," Esther gave me a sly smile. "Once he gets angry he gets sloppy. What's the term for him again… _tsun_ something or other(1). Whatever, just get him angry, get him embarrassed. Just do something to make him lose his 'cool guy' façade and he will fall to your feet within seconds."

"Got it," I tried to picture Root from his battle with Lussuria. I remember him just standing there, taking Lussuria's hits and taunting him. He kept his cool long enough for Lussuria to believe he had already won. I can't let him fool me.

"And finally, our well awaited Sky battle," Esther faced Xanxus. Even after that beating she had received, she would still dare to look him in the eye. "Xanxus, I'm sure you've wanted to fill Marcello with holes since you laid eyes on him. As much as I'd love to do it myself… I'll let you take the sweet victory. So, Marcello… he's a lover, that's for sure."

Once again, Esther was gone. She looked so void of life and sentiment. She was cold as ice as she described Marcello.

"He may be strong with that axe of his… but when you find his heart and break it, you'll end him," Esther paused for a moment. "As you all know, I am Marcello's fiancé. So… Xanxus, if you will permit me to make one move… I will take Marcello by his weakness and… allow you to make the final blow."

"Whatever," was his only remark, and here I had thought he had fallen asleep at the back. He leaned against a pile of boxes, behind us and had shut his eyes. I swear I even heard him snoring a moment ago.

"Alright, so we all know our opponents. If you want to know more about them or have any questions, just ask. On the day we attack, I won't be there to hold your hands through it all. I'll be with Merlo, as you know. "

"What about Vongola…? What if they come into the field?" Leviathan asked.

"Our first priority is Merlo," Esther stated. "Defeat Merlo and you get back into Vongola. If the Vongola do come into play, they will most likely be under Hou Po's hypnotism. Therefore, Lussuria you have a _very_ important job. With Hou Po dead so will his hypnotism. If the Vongola _does_ appear before Hou Po's death, then just do what Xanxus did and shock the hypnotism right out of 'em! Everyone understand?"

"Understood," we all said unanimously, and the echo in the basement seemed to add to the determination and boldness in our one-word statement. We were ready for whatever came at us in battle.

Some of us, me included, were wondering about what would happen, mainly about Esther, once the battles are done. Will she disappear? Will she be punished? I wondered if she even knew what was coming for her once the deed was done.

Maybe or maybe not, but worrying was not going to get anything done. We had all learned that after the Cradle Affair. Sentiment is not something we can afford sometimes. Others will think otherwise. Sometimes we have wondered if there's something wrong with us, unfeeling, cold, killers of the mafia. However our lives filled with death have taught us that all lives end, all hearts are broken.

Caring is not an advantage(2).

* * *

**(Leviathan)**

Esther had already swept through the building and placed tracking devices on the rooms of each of the Merlo member's locations. As I recall, she had explained it would be safer and they wouldn't be able to notice its presence in the room. With each of the Varia members, she gave each of us the radars so that we could find our own target.

I decided not to hold back, since I had the element of surprise in my hands. I kicked the door open and sure enough there was my target. Without a slip in movement, I threw my parabolas out towards Aero.

"You!" I heard him exclaim but it was too late. The parabolas unleashed their power unto Aero. I stood firm as I heard his screams, it had been too long since I had heard such music. There was an unusually large explosion, which put a smile on my face. Remembering his battle with Belphegor, Aero's arrows could cause explosions. My Levi Volta triggered off the explosives on his arrows, adding for double the damage.

Of course, as a fellow assassin, I would expect him not to just die quietly and peacefully. Quiet and peace are alien to us.

"Looks it will take me a little while longer before I reunite with the boss," I muttered as the dust cleared and Aero heaved for air. It was just as Esther had said, he was already battered after the augmented explosion. He was excruciatingly weak.

"You're going to pay for that…" Aero got to his feet, but just how was he going to "make me pay?" His arrows were all gone and his bow had snapped. I had already won.

"I hate people like you," I sneered, allowing myself to converse with this prime example of a lowlife. "You're not worthy of the accolade of an assassin. If there is anything your pathetic excuse of a life is worth it is _death_ and I will gladly be the one to assist you."

Aero ran at me rage in his eyes but no threat in his hands. This… to believe we were beaten by a group of this. I will gain vengeance and regain our pride, starting with this trash.

No matter who the opponent is, even if the target is weak like this one. I reached behind me and took out a parabola. I won't give mercy; it's my cold-headed volition.

In a sharp movement, I began to run at Aero as well. As the best vanguard, I will crush the obstacles; deceiving enemies with my phantom appearance. He roared with anger,

"I won't let anyone to be a hindrance; accomplish the mission with lightning speed!" I roared back and prepared for impact. The absolute obedience, as the right-hand man, I won't betray boss's expectation.

Now boss, please praise me; the joy of supremacy devotion.

Aero's roar died down and cracked until it became silent when he realized the parabola impaling him through his abdomen. His eyes were frantic as blood spilled to the ground and he could do nothing but slowly die. I leaned towards him so he could hear my words above his shock.

"Those who threaten my position... I will kick them no matter who they are." Then I pulled the parabola out, resulting in a throaty gasp from Aero as he collapsed on the ground, still grasping onto his thread of life. I watched as the blood pooled around his twitching body, before turning away and making my leave.

Please praise me once more, boss; the joy of supremacy devotion.

Yes… the _joy_(3).

* * *

**(Belphegor)**

My target showed hardly any reaction to the Prince's appearance in his dull life. He stared at me hard before taking out his spears.

"…fight…" he spoke, but not as a question. Of course. Fighting, killing, the death agony, I love to hear it. It is never a question in my life. It _is_ my life.

"You soul," I smiled as I took out my knives. "I will cut it up."

With that he began to throw spears at me. Just as Esther had mentioned, he had many spears on hand, however there were two just strapped behind him, which meant he was going to finish up with his javelins before getting to the closer combat. Interesting…

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, peasant!" I smiled as I dodged each of his thrown spears. "I am Belephgor! Varia's number one, skilled in battle sense! _Prince the Ripper_!" With him out of throwing spears I began throwing my own knives attached to wires at him. Esther said he was swift, but he was bulky like an out of fashion phone. If I could get him trapped in the wires, I could at least buy me some time.

"…calling… your name… at start of fight… how… gallant," he said moving aside to dodge the knife. I smirked at his actions and his words.

"It's not a gallantry." He had no idea. This little peasant was my puppet, as long as he kept dodging my knives, he'll eventually get caught in the wires. This is going to be fun.

As he unstrapped his last two spears, I made my move around the room. At different angles throughout, I threw knives at him, which he dodged, unknowing the web forming around him. He kept turning, never once taking his eyes off me.

It was at the last moment when he realized he was trapped. It was just like with that other peasant, only this time, this one was doomed to be the target of my Storming Knives Waltz. I smirked at the sight of the panic pooling in his eyes when I snapped my fingers. Good, I like it when the peasant recognizes when they're already dead(4).

I sat back and enjoyed the show as every knife thrown at him before was coated in Storm flames and returned to their original target: the peasant Vellalar. Each and every one of them zipped back across their respective wires and imbedded themselves into peasant flesh before exploding.

All was good and well until I felt a sharp stab. Imbedded in my right shoulder was one of his spears used for close combat.

"That fucking peasant… shi… ushishishishishi! Uushishishishishishishishish ishi!" As the smoke began to clear I grabbed the spear and pulled it out, taking in the thrilling sensation of the pain. There it was…"Ushishishishishi~! Look… look peasant and revel at the sight unfit for peasant eyes. Look at the sinking royalty's sacred blood. Ushishishi~ The revival of the deep crimson excitement!"

The peasant grunted as I threw a knife at his shoulder just as he did to mine.

"The cruelty of my arts… Ushishishishi~ I am Prince the Ripper and by my royal decree: _Everything_ in this world will be _cut up_! Ushishishishishishishishishi ~!"

I rushed towards him before he could even react. It's time for a dance. With a ready knife in my hand, I slashed across his arm, making him relieve his grip on his last spear. I slashed at his head, because his peasant face was ugly.

"Ushishishi! Light up the dancer dyed in scarlet!" Hm… when I think about it, he could use a little more crimson and burgundy. Let's add more to the mix! Oh~ his screams, he's finally screaming. "Yes~ Yes! _Finally_ the melody to the crazy death~ Screams are the best BGM!"

He was now screaming in another language, one that was not in my Princely dictionary. Whatever. It was probably something stupid or something along the lines of "Help me help me help me!"

"Ushishishishishi~!" I couldn't contain my laughter. This was all so fun! I didn't want this to end… but the others would be waiting on me… Whatever, they _will_ wait for the Prince, because I am the Prince!

Somewhere between the slashes, I had gotten him on the floor and I had straddled him as I continued to assault him whilst breaking into song.

"Bloody hell~ Bloody heaven~ Bloody Bel~! Uuuushishishishishishishishi shishishishishishishi~!"(5)

* * *

**(Mammon)**

"The hell, how'd you get in here, kid?" Lluks exclaimed once I had entered his room. The entire scenario had less than nothing to report, although I will mention one thing. Lluks was in his boxer shorts and the rest of his clothes and belongings were on every surface of his room.

Lovely, let's just get this over with.

"Come to me, all of you who are frightened by curses, I will show you my ability."

"Hey! Hey! What're you doing?!" Lluks began to panic slightly, but tried to hold onto what little pride he had in his boxers, which wasn't much to begin with. I decided that his room wasn't exactly the ideal place to do battle, so I placed us in a place that would make him a little more… comfortable?

"A… a ship…?" Lluks stared about, unaware that I had also clothed him in some decent clothes as well as a pirate hat. I decided I would let him immerse in the illusion like and dream… before slowly breaking it down into tiny little bits.

I don't need to _fight_ a plebeian like him to win. I am the cursed baby, of the Arcobaleno, the pacifier is the proof. I can win without fighting. The _pride_ in fighting is foolish, when fighting is _all_ about _reward_.

I watched him as he lived in this little illusion as a pirate, killing, robbing, lying, and drinking. How amusing it was for me to watch. The repeated same life… no matter how many times, that is a curse.

To be free of it, I collect money; the only _real_ thing in the world. I don't need friendship or ability, things that can be fabricated. Glory… _true_ glory is a thing that can be bought with money.

"Friendship or ability is an illusion," I spoke and things began to change for the worse in his little fantasy world.

He was in his ship, laying about in the crow's nest, when he was awoken by stormy weather. He got down and out of the nest and looked around him. The waves had darkened and the so had the sky, which was masked with clouds and roared with thunder and approaching storms. He cussed out a string of expletives when he saw another ship approaching his, donning the ensign of his famiglia.

"Lluks Loveless! Surrender now or we will be forced to attack!" rang out the voice of Lluk's famiglia head. He flinched and panicked.

"Just give me more time, boss!" He frantically tried to bargain with the illusion of his Don. "I-I'll have the money soon! Merlo is already in Vongola! You were right boss, those idiots never saw us coming! We'll bring them down after we've captured and killed the Varia! I bring back some of the riches and I'll have repaid my debt, boss! I just need a little more time!"

"Time waits for no one and neither does death. Prepare the canons!"

"Boss! Wait!" It was too late, the first shot was fired and hit and I was nearly surprised and amused to hear Lluks scream. More. More and more cannonballs came, breaking through the wood surface of the ship and soon water began to overtake the vessel.

"No…no no No!" Lluks was frantic as he evaded the water that began to make its way into the boat. He then started using his brain and began climbing up the ropes to return to the crow's nest, but it was useless. The ship was sinking and eventually he would reach the sea.

The canons stopped firing as Lluks' ship just kept sinking until the crow's nest was touching the water. I let out a slight chuckle when the crow's nest was in the water, and due to Lluk's panicking, the crow's nest flipped over, forcing Lluks into the water.

I appeared before him, where he was panicking in the water, breathing in water and choking. Such a pitiful sight.

"To _fall_ into the glory of illusions is a pleasant feeling," I tried to coax him to take the final jump; the _fall_ into death. I leaned closer and whispered. "Death waits for no man when their time has come. Resistance is useless."

I sat at on the windowsill of Lluks' room. While he was dreaming of a pirate fantasy and drowning, he didn't realize that in real life, he had just thrown himself out of the window, six floors from the ground. Now, now he was dead, with his head cracked open on the ground and his blood pouring out. In his hands were papers of his IOUs.

As far as anyone is concerned, Lluks Loveless committed suicide in order to escape his debts and he lived and died a coward.

"Hn… It's useless," I thought before taking my leave(6).

* * *

**(Lussuria)**

"Well, well, looks like Root was right…" Hou Po spoke when I had entered his room. The young man was reading something when I had got in, but it seemed he was only slightly surprised to see me. His face was half covered by a surgical mask. "There _is_ a mole in Merlo… so who was it?"

"It doesn't really matter now, does it?" I asked, flashing him a smile. "We already know everything about you just as you knew everything about us. I'd say it's already too late, don't you think, hun?"

"Hmm, I suppose you're right," Hou Po spoke with amusement in his voice before coughing. "You haven't really caught me at my best form, but I'll give you your life's worth."

"As _you_ will make a lovely addition to my collection," I challenged him back. Just then, the walls of the room disappeared and we were suddenly on the rooftop. I see, this had to be an illusion. He was bringing me back to my fight with Root, where I had fallen. Attacking me at such a tender area… but not this time~!

I took of my glasses and sure enough my vision changed. My vision was indecipherably blurry, that all I could see were blotches of milky colours. I put my glasses into my pocket and took my ready stance.

"Are you ready to face despair?" I heard the voice speak to me, it was a mixture of Hou Po's and Roots. So he really _was_ trying to fool me into thinking I'm fighting Root again. I wasn't going to be fooled!

"Those things won't matter~" I smiled and listened to the slightest sounds. "I will take your despair away, _I il sole_~!"

I heard a shuffle and with that I closed in to make my move. I started with a punch and felt the impact between my fist and his body. I heard him grunt as he crashed into something porcelain, perhaps a vase. Without my sight I could only imagine what he looked like as I sent out a flurry of attacks with my eight limbs. Ooh~ The unmovable body that rots away and cold… the _ultimate physical beauty_~

My ideal.

"What is this…? You're… blind?!" I heard him cough out. His chest… that's my target.

"Come right now… my collection," I giggled as I grabbed him and tried to force him down. "Resistance is useless, you're miserable. Yes… lie down, lie down…lying down~"

"What are you… augh!" He grunted and coughed as I beat his chest with fists and elbow jabs. Inside his chest, his ribs were breaking, and his frozen heart was wounded.

He eventually stopped flailing, that was when I put my glasses back on. He was choking, his own ribs poking at his lungs, even his mask was preventing his own breathing.

He was so beautiful right now…

"Come," I heaved him up. "I will melt the frozen heart's wound… with an everlasting love, I will embrace you." I wrapped my hands around his chest, clenching hard as I listened to his wheezing.

"For you… I will flow the love that begins the morning… for you… I will shine brightly and strongly. The hot light will wrap you."

"…pl…plea…" and then he was gone. I didn't let go of him though. Not until his body had gone cold and became absolute beauty.

I wanted to experience it myself, maybe one day. But I have a lot of work to do before I become the ultimate physical beauty.

I will just continue being the Sun and Mama for my little family for the time being(7).

* * *

**(Squalo)**

Our trackers were pointed in the same direction, so we left together, it was only fit that Leader of Varia and the Second in Command of Varia be together. We eventually made our way to a big room, a dining room of sorts.

"Root, sometimes I hate it when you're right," we heard Marcello speak. Marcello was sitting in a large chair, one that rivalled Xanxus's. He was sitting with Esther, disguised as Loreto in his arms. In front of them was Root, looking to be ready to protect them.

"How troublesome… now there's a mole in Merlo," Marcello sighed. "Root, can you take care of them, I want to finish my lunch in peace."

"Hey Trash," I hear beside me and that was all I needed.

"Understood," I said and walked up to Root. "Voi! I'll be your opponent."

Neither of us said anything, we let our blades do the conversing. His weapon was his sickle, probably another one he had gotten after Lussuria broke his original one. The sickle was such a strange weapon. It is similar to a scythe, just smaller and much less intimidating. Against me and my sword, it was pointless.

"Are you even trying, with such a tiny weapon?" I started, but Root remained unmoved until I slapped his sickle right out of his hand with the flat side of my sword. "Don't waste my time with your toys."

"You…" Root muttered. Yes I was finally getting to him until I felt a nostalgic slap in the face. I looked and saw the whip in Root's hand. No wonder, I had been mistakenly hit by Dino's bullwhip enough times to get used to its sting.

"Don't expect that thing is going to do any better runt," I rushed in an attack. Without his sickle, Root was defenseless at close range, so now I had the advantage. He grabbed a chair and flung it at me, but it proved useless as I chopped it in two.

Then suddenly Root stopped running. He began to twitch before turning to me, "Hou Po… You bastards… what did you do to Hou Po?!" Root was finally breaking(8), yes! Good job, Lussuria!

"He's dead and so you will be too," I said until Root suddenly flung himself at me. Off-balance with the extra weight, I fell back and landed on my back. Root sat on top of me and that was when I saw what he clutched in his hand, a simple butter knife, probably from the dining table.

"Gah! Fuck!" I cursed as he stabbed me with it, but just as Esther had said, he was getting sloppy now. His face was flushed a bright red tint, his eyes overflowed with tears, and his words were everywhere. His stab only hit my upper arm. He was finally breaking apart.

This was my chance!

With my feet I pushed him off me and got back on my feet. Root sluggishly did the same. This was it, I thought at that exact moment. For those I believe in, Varia, Esther, Xanxus, there is a given destiny for them. For the things I want to obtain, _victory_, I'll gamble with my life.

He rushed towards me and I did the same, with my _Scontro di Squalo_ up I charged at him. Break it, break it, I'll always push forward. There's no reason to stop. I'll surpass myself. Break it, break it,

"I'll break everything and everyone in my way!" I roared as we reached each other. I'll obtain strength.

Limit? I'll cut through the limit(9), like I cut through my enemy.

"Well… that was uneventful," Marcello sighed. "But I'm not done lunch yet so… Loreto? Will you be a dear and kill the swordsman for me?"

I tried to contain my surprise as I'm sure Esther was doing the same behind her mask. No, no this wasn't in the plan.

"Yes," was the answer as she got her rapier and got up to fight.

"Wait," Marcello grabbed her hand before she could get too far. I watched as she was spun around and as Marcello lifted her mask and kissed her. Esther had to live with that for her life. There was _that_ much trust that she had gained from Marcello. If Varia loses, that trust will be broken and she will share the same fate as us.

If I win though… that means I'd have to…

"Squalo Superbi," I snapped back up and looked at Esther, masked as Loreto. "Let us fight honourably."

"Voi…" was all I could say before Esther ran in for the attack first. Out of instinct I put my own sword up to shield me from her attack. There were no more words. We didn't need words. I could tell enough from the moment our blades touched.

Esther's blade slashed onto mine and at that moment I knew neither of us had the heart to fight each other. If she had meant it, she would have thrust her rapier at me. If I had meant it, I could easily push her thin blade away. However there was nothing. There was no will to push us to fight this time. We just stood there in between winning and losing, pretending to be at a stalemate.

"Squalo…" I heard her whisper. "Hit me…"

"What?" I hissed back.

"It's the only way for us to stop fighting," she whispered, although her face was paling at the thought of her own words. "Just land one _serious_ attack on me… and then you and Xanxus can take care of Marcello…"

"But what about…?"

"Just do it."

So I did, but I didn't like one second of it. I closed my eyes and let my sword sheath itself into her abdomen.

"Loreto!" I heard Marcello exclaim before Esther could even make a sound of recognizing her injury. I prevented myself from shuddering as I pulled my sword out, and squinted with a heavy feeling at the sight of my blade glazed with red.

"I will kill you!" Marcello lifted his axe, but before he could land an attack a bullet sounded out and hit his shoulder. He grunted and we both turned to Xanxus who had his guns ready for target practice.

"Get out of my way you shitty shark," he eyed me like he was going to shoot me next. I was used to that kind of attitude by now and I moved out of the way, slowly edging over to where Esther lay.

"You okay…?" I whispered as Xanxus and Marcello were finally able to get along with their fight. Esther's breathing was everywhere and he face was pale when I removed her mask. "Shit… here wait, I'll stop the bleeding. Just… just don't die on me."

"Hehe…" Esther let out a tiny yet strained giggle when I put pressure on her wound. "That's… what Xanxus said… to you… that day…"

"So you saw that too, huh?" I asked, trying to keep myself calm, since she was already calm. Gosh there was a lot of blood. I purposely didn't hit her anywhere important but still… I used my uniform jacket to prevent the blood from flowing more.

"That's why… I can… look him… in the… eye… he's… a… caring guy… on the… inside…" Esther smiled and spoke with shaky breaths. "He… cares… he just… doesn't want to… show it… kind of like… you."

"Well… we can't afford that," I spoke back. "Caring won't help people."

"Yes it… can," Esther smiled. "I cared… for you… all of you… and that pushed me… into helping you all. Caring… can help people, Squalo… We're a good example… of that."

I was about to say something until I felt something.

"S…Squalo…?" I heard Esther's voice before I fell down beside her.

A stray bullet hit me.

* * *

**(Xanxus)**

The revenge, the denial, the opposition, the retribution all of it was driving me on as I rushed at the pile of scum before me. This enemy, like all the others, will be exterminated.

I shot at him countless times, but he continues to hide behind his cowardice, shielding himself with his axe, sending my bullets everywhere.

This piece of trash has no idea who he is fucking dealing with. I am the fury that everyone feared, the burning up rage, the secret that shelters this blood. I will destroy everything, and gain the power to rule on top with the amplified rage and this vengeful secluded soul.

I closed in on him and kicked him down to the ground.

"Lie down in despair, scum," I said as I pointed my gun at him. There is no helping hand.

My flame is burned to the end(10).

* * *

**(Esther)**

I wanted to scream when Squalo fell. I wanted to, but I couldn't. It would blow our cover. I had to end this now. I had to grab Marcello by his weakness and tear it to shreds. I reached into my inner vest pocket and took out my Box Weapon.

"Nemo… I need your help," I called him out and the little yellow frog came to me. Holding him in my gloved hand I looked at him. Behind him Xanxus had Marcello on the ground, until Marcello surprised him and got back onto his feet. "Nemo darling, I need you to go to Marcello, thank you dear."

I placed my hand to the ground and gave Nemo the way to jump to the floor. I didn't have time to watch him hop over to the duelling two, I had to tend to Squalo at the moment.

"Shit…" I could hear him hiss quietly.

"Hush, dear… I've got you," I tried to keep him calm. I winced when I tried to move, with my own injury being a bastard. I applied pressure to his wound, which was dangerously close to his heart.

"Please be okay… Squalo… Please…" I prayed earnestly as I tried to stop the bleeding. I did not stop until I heard a wheezing sound and turned my attention over to Xanxus and Marcello.

Marcello was gasping as he lowered to his knees. His hands grasped at the fabric over his chest. His muscles contracted abnormally and his face was painted with a thick panic. His body twitched as he jerkily turned his head around to face me.

"Good Nemo," I cooed at my Box Animal as he returned to my hand and into his box. With his attention on me, I removed my glove and let it fall to the ground. I showed him the hand that was bound by his ring. I plucked it off my finger and tossed it aside.

"Lo…re…"

"Xanxus… would you be a dear and… finish him off? I don't think… I could hold back if… I was to do it," I simply said, to which I was responded with a grunt and many sweet sounds of bullets. Is it wrong for me to smile as I watched bullets embed him so?

No… I don't think so.

* * *

**(Xanxus)**

I watched as the body was coated in my flames. The ferocious flames rise with the shouts of anger. Fists burned with anger warps the world. Blazing anger controls everything.

These flames held in this hand: raging, whirling world destruction(11), are my one _true_ birthright.

Eventually the flames subsided and it was clear that the piece of trash was dead. I turned around to face the shark but he was not there. Rather, he was on the fucking ground. Fuck, not _again_.

I ignored the girl's words as I walked over to the piece of trash and where he laid on the ground, not making any sounds. That was unusual of him. He was usually noisy. I kicked him, somewhat lightly, and the only response I got was from the girl.

"Hey you shitty shark. Get up." I called.

I kicked him again, a little harder, but there was no response. _Again_. He's fucking done it again. How many times? _How many_ fucking times has this selfish piece of trash done this to me? Every fucking time, he goes off and does something fucking stupid. He always tries to be the "hero" and goes off and "dies a hero's death."

This selfish piece of shit.

When he cut off his own arm. When he lost consciousness at the coup d'etat. When he got himself eaten by a shark. When he went to protect those brats from the Funeral Wreath. When I had his life by his fucking hair, he goes and says the "brave fucking last words of a hero."

Who the fuck do you think you are, you shitty shark, doing this to me? I've put up with your shit for years and you don't even have the decency to give me a fucking explanation.

What good are you if you're dead, trash? If you were just dead, I could just disown you. Throw you away like the trash you have always been. I don't know that though. You've survived each fucking time. So prove me wrong, you fuck! Defy me again and survive, damn you! Disobey you goddamned piece of trash!

I don't want your life!

I want you alive, you idiotic shit.

You said you would follow me. That's what the hair was for, right dumbass? How are you going to follow me if you're dead? Does all that mean _nothing_ to you? All those years, waiting for me? If this is pay back for those eight years you can shove that sentiment up your fucking ass, scum.

"I'm not fucking patient as you are, trash!" I kicked him again, probably breaking his ribs. With each kick was a word. "Fuck. You. Selfish. Shitty. Shark!"(12)

"Xanxus! Please stop!" the girl begged before wincing. Looks like the scum did hurt her pretty good, at least enough to get that axe-wielding shit to fight. I saw her face turning pale and the sweat running down, or was it tears? I don't fucking know, but whatever it was, it got me to stop.

"Boss!" Ugh… his voice was annoying.

"Call the Vongola and get them both looked at," I barked out as the rest of my team began to fall in. Then I turned to the shitty shark and hissed. "We've _finally_ won, you shit. Don't die on me _now_ of all times, scum."

* * *

**(Belphegor)**

So now it was time for us to wait. We called the Vongola and they took care of Squalo and Esther. They were both injured seriously, although Squalo was the only one unresponsive. Now, we all stood outside their rooms, which were curtained so we had no idea how things were going on inside. We could just stand and wait. It would have been a total bore, if not for the thick cloud of concern amongst all of us.

Sometime along, the peasant brat of the Vongola walked over with one of his guardians, the swordsman that Squalo tutored once.

"How are things?" He asked once he stopped in front of us.

"Well we thought _you_ would know a little more than _us_ at the moment," I said, probably a little harshly, but who cares?

"Well… from what I know the two of them are in serious conditions. Esther is getting better though. Squalo however…."

"Spit it out, trash," boss said void of his usual rage. Yes, boss was also a bit worrisome at the moment. I haven't been keeping track of how long we had been standing, however, I'm sure it had been long enough for it to get boring. Normally, boss would have said or done something by now.

Not this time though. He was stoic through it all and kept his eyes on the curtained window to Squalo's room.

"Squalo is still unconscious…What happened to Merlo? You guys lost the tournament and now you break into the Vongola Base to spark your revenge? You do realize the consequences of this… right?"

"Here," Mammon tossed the Vongola Decimo a recorder. "Play it."

We all watched as Sawada pressed the play button and instantly came Lluks' frantic voice, "Merlo is already in Vongola! You were right boss, those idiots never saw us coming! We'll bring them down after we've captured and killed the Varia! I bring back some of the riches and I'll have repaid my debt, boss! I just need a little more time!"

"What…?"

"You've been fooled, Vongola," Mammon put it simply and bluntly.

"Mmhmm~!" Lussuria continued on. "Merlo was a group made up of several members of different mafia famiglias. They wanted to get into Vongola to destroy it from the inside out. In order to do that, they had to get rid of Varia."

"How do you know this?"

"When Esther wakes up," I said before pausing. "_If_ she wakes up… ask her. She knows everything there is about Merlo."

Of course… Mammon had told us before. When we win and kill Merlo, Esther may not be with us anymore.

Esther may have hell to pay for after this.

* * *

**(Esther)**

I sat in silence. It had been a long while since I had been confined in a bed. Heh… this brings back some pretty old memories. Gosh I feel so old~ I'm fifteen years old but I feel like I'm reaching my 40s. Is this a midlife crisis I'm feeling or is it just…?

…is it just the sensation of knowing that my final end is coming…?

_That depends on what you think._

I looked up and saw a familiar face. I nearly didn't recognize him, since he usually stood inside his funny little elevator of his. However now he stood at the foot of my bed, as if he was about to collect my soul like the grim reaper.

_Now… you and I both know that I pretty much am the Grim Reaper. I just have a better sense of fashion and I'm not carrying a scythe… oh and you know, I'm not a skeleton._

Yeah… he can read my mind. I never took much attention to it though. If I wanted to speak to him, I would speak to him. If I didn't, well he would still be able to know what I was saying. He was a classy bastard with a classy ability.

_Now that's not a nice name for me. Classy I am, Bastard I am not._

Right on cue.

"So… is this it? Is it my time?"

_Whatever makes you think it is?_

"You. Being here. In front of me…?" I waved my hands, a habit I've been trying to stop.

_Dear Esther, this is a hospital. There are bound to be thousands of souls requiring their lift to their next life. _

"Yes but I'm willing to bet—"

_Gambling is not a wise sport to invest your time on, Esther._

"Whatever~! I'm pretty sure that _I'm_ the only one who has broken more than enough rules to spend ten eternities in Hell. Plus, I made a deal with the guys upstairs, _that_ in itself must cost me something. It's like one of your rules right? _Thou shalt not challengeth the guys upstairs_!"

_Your humour is always so refreshing, Esther._

"Just as your presence lights up my day," I returned his sarcasm with some of my own. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing. Remember, elevator man, I'm the one who taught you everything you know about sarcasm."

_I do have a name, you know, it's not "elevator man" as you keep calling me…_

"_Whatever_~! So are you here to take me away or not?" I asked him, tired of his stalling.

_What would you do if I told you I was here for another?_

"Nope," I answered quickly and curtly. "You're either take me or no one else. Squalo… there's still a life for him."

_And for you?_

A smile tugged on my lips. "Look at me, dude… I'm fifteen years old and but I'm really thirty-eight. Years and years have been lost or used up. I think I can take a hint. Fate has nothing in store for me. There's no room for me to just… live."

_Is that what you truly think?_

I nodded and nearly choked when I heard a _ding_ sound.

_Then get out this bed and walk to the elevator. _I heard him speak, but I couldn't move. _Hm? Well, aren't you coming? _

I don't wanna go… Is it too much to ask… to just live a little longer? This time I spent with Squalo and then with Varia. They were the best years of my life, guarding Squalo, watching over Squalo, teaching Squalo, becoming friends with Varia… I don't want to go, not when I've finally found my life.

I hadn't realized until I looked up that there were tears running down my face. Gosh, I probably looked stupid, but there was no one there to witness it. The elevator man was gone.

_If you truly desire to live, dear Esther, then live. Live your life with your dying will. _

Yes… yes, yes, Yes!

Thank you, Uncle Elevator(13).

* * *

**(Xanxus)**

It had been long enough. It had been a week now and that selfish shit was still unconscious. The doctors said it wasn't a coma, but his vitals were steady.

What does that even mean?! Damn it you shit, wake up.

That girl had already got back on her feet. She needed stitches and she eventually had to get those stitches out, but she was alive. It was… surprising to see everyone rejoicing upon her return. As I recall, they all opted to watch a movie together. I joined.

I don't understand what is with that girl. Since the day of the Cradle Affair, I saw her first then. Then she saved me eight years later. Then only recently, she had the nerve to stand up to me and bring me back to Varia. After hearing her story, maybe going through death several times has made her undaunted by the fear of it.

However, there is ever a thin line between braveness and stupidity.

Just like this shit lying in this hospital bed. He was stupid for trying to be brave. He was always trying to be the great knight, fighting for a just cause, protecting the innocent, and dying a heroic death.

Well fuck you.

"Uggghh…"

You little fucking piece of shit.

"Shit! That hurts... Xanxus...?" Even though his hair was shorter, his side bangs were their usual length. I grabbed them and hefted his head high enough to make him face me eye to eye.

"Who do you live for?" I yelled, not letting my grip loosen in the slightest.

"What...?" I

"Who... do you... fucking... live for, trash?!" I spat at his face.

"...you..." he finally answered and I released his hair, letting his head drop onto the soft surface of the hospital bed. Our eyes were still locked. His silver eyes were the same as they were since the day we met. The hard and cold silver symbolized his determination and loyalty throughout the years(14).

"Exactly... so quit being a fucking idiot... your life belongs to me... and you'll die when I say so. So stop being a shitty hero," I said as I turned away to the door. Someone had to tell the others the shark was alive.

"I'm not being a hero," I heard behind me and turned to face him again. "I'm your knight, and you are my king. Blood doesn't matter. The distant vow of yesterday, I've decided to follow you, and only you, Xanxus."

That fucking shark.

Squalo.

* * *

**(Squalo)**

Life eventually returned to normal… sort of. I eventually got out of the hospital and was able to return to our base. Fortunately, Merlo hadn't torn it down yet and everything was in place, albeit dusty over the span of our absence. All of us, with an exception to Xanxus, we got the place cleaned up in two days. We had to pay Mammon for his services as well as to get Belphegor to help out as well. We tried to let Esther have a break, since she was still slow and tired, but she kept rushing around trying to help out.

"So Esther, where are you going to go now?" Lussuria asked during our dinner. We insisted that Esther stay with us, since she needed to get her stitches out eventually. Plus, she shouldn't be moving about too much in her current state.

"I… haven't really put much thought on it," Esther smiled. "Mm~ This food is so good!"

Esther sparked interest in us all. She was different from the rest of us. More alive, I guess was the way to put it. To us, the herb roasted lamb, the sirloin steak, and the 2006 Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalchino wine were all just food(15). However to her, they were delicacies.

Ordinary people are so strange.

"Will you be returning to your family…?" Leviathan asked. It was also strange to hear Leviathan speaking more often. He would usually keep silent until someone would call him, especially if it was our boss.

"Sadly no," Esther's smile turned a little sad. "They died… years ago."

"My apologies…" Leviathan quickly said noticing Esther had nothing more to say on the matter.

"It's alright," Esther giggled. "I'm not really sure where I'm headed, really. There's… no place I can go to call home. The villages where I used to live… they've all changed so much, I don't see much reason to return, when there is no one to welcome me."

"Then… would you consider joining us?" Belphegor asked.

"W-would that be alright?" Esther asked.

"Well you are very good with that rapier of yours," Lussuria joined in. "You're also use the Cloud flame, which makes you very promising."

"No," I put an end to this before it could continue anymore.

"What?"

"Why not?"

I placed my cutlery down and looked at each of them, before stopping at Esther, "Because that's not the life for Esther. All your… lives, you were only waiting for this moment to arise… you were only waiting for this moment to be free(16). For us, the life of an assassin is all we ever wanted, but that's not the life for you. All this time you've been working for others, for _me_. Now that you're finally free, I want you to make choices for _yourself_. It's alright… to _care_ about yourself once in a while…"

There was a short-lived silence before the other Varia members busted out in conversation.

"Bravo~ Squ," Lussuria was tapping his cutlery at his wine glass in a celebratory manner. "Such moving words, whoever knew you were such a romantic~"

"Voi! Shut your trap, that's not what I meant!"

"Ushishishi… what do you mean _once in a while_?" Belphegor poked at my arm. "You still need her to watch over you? I never thought you were that kind of guy."

"VOI! Shut up! Shut Up! SHUT UP!" Once more, laughter exploded throughout the dining room.

"Ehehe… thank you, all of you," Esther smiled. "I hope that wherever I'm headed, I'll still be welcome here."

"Of course!"

* * *

Ah yes, the life of an assassin is the only life for us. No matter where the mission, no matter who the target, we will storm through and take victory in our grasp. Triumph after triumph, we'll break through each one, never satisfied with the mundane. We'll continue on and on to strive for more and more!

Before you paint any feeling, cut up and break the person before your eyes! To say things don't turn out well since you're along, don't be spoiled, shout with fighting spirit! Remove and throw away the small fishes! Fight against the opposition! That is the Varia way!

Come on from wherever you are! We are Varia!

I watched as Leviathan threw out his Levi Volta and took out several men. But if you're weak, there nothing you can say.

Our bodies and hearts are free! Further ahead I saw Lussuria giving a clean uppercut to one of the targets.

Consequently it's a story full of ups and downs.

Behind me, Belphegor had trapped a group of men in wires, all in the target line of his knives. There was no hope for them, because the chance to win is already gone.

Far from me, I heard agonizing screams and cries for mercy, and I knew full well that Mammon had completed his quota of targets for this mission. It's okay not to go easy.

I rushed forward with my sword slashing ahead of me, tearing a line of men into fillets.

"Voi! Do the finishing blow!" I called out when the leader appeared. I got out of the way as Xanxus already had his gun out of his holster. With a pull of the trigger, the target was sent to the depths of despair.

We are Varia! Elite assassin group of the Vongola Famiglia! With all the things and people supporting us so right now, we fight! Each of us, we come our own walk of life. We're different from one another, yet we all hold the infinite ambition, always targeting the unfathomable and unheard one. No matter what kind of tomorrow will come, we're holding down entirely.

The real power that is in us all…

No one can match it.

We are only and forever: _Varia_.

* * *

Niko: So... that is it. **BREAK** **OUT **is now over. I feel so happy that it is done but also a bit empty. I spent the entire year planning out this story, it feels exhilarating but now it's all done.

**Notes:**

1. Everyone sing it with me! Tsun tsun dere tsun dere tsun tsun~ (yes, in my original concept of Root and Hou Po, Root was a tsundere and Hou Po was a yandere, the concept still sort of holds true in this story).

2. "All lives end. All hearts are broken. Caring is not an advantage..." this is a line from **BBC Sherlock** (love that show, can't wait for the third season).

3. Anyone who has read **Requiem of Rain** may have seen this coming, mixed in are lines from Leviathan's character song: **Raigeki no Levi**.

4. "You're already dead." this is the signature line from Kenshiro from **Fist of the North Star** (haven't watched it, but it seems cool).

5. Yeah, I could not finish this story without having crazy bloody Bel. Anways, Belphegor's character songs are also in here, starting with **Arashi no Ouji**, and then **Bloody Prince** just as he goes nuts.

6. Here, Mammon's character song **Maboroshi no Arcobaleno** is mixed in as well.

7. Lussuria's character is always so interesting, it's so bright and flamboyant, yet I with his ideal beauty and his collection, there's this dark part of him that I think most people forget about. Anyway, Lussuria's character song: **IL SOLE** is also incorporated here as well.

8. Something I should point out, Root and Hou Po (when they were game characters) were both magic wielders. The two of them could sense when the other was injured, and that is something I decided to place into the story.

9. And, Squalo's **BREAK OUT** (to be quite honest, I prefer **Chinkonka no Ame** over this song, but both are fine really).

10. How appropriate that the _10th_ note is Xanxus (I seriously did not plan for this) anyway, here is Xanxus's character song **Hokori Takaki Ikari** and...

11. ...here is Xanxus's other character song **FLAMING RAGE**.

12. A little bit of trivia, I wrote this little section right after reading Reborn chapter 398 (vs Jager)... you can probably tell that I was very... emotional after that chapter (I still am, did anyone see chapter 399 yet? Gosh, breaks my heart, man!).

13. That is the elevator man's real name. Uncle Elevator... seriously, I looked it up and everything... I was really surprised that my little nickname for him was so close to the actual thing.

14. This is to mirror every single time Squalo mentions Xanxus's eyes, to show that Xanxus cares about Squalo just as much as Squalo cares about Xanxus, but as assassins, caring is something they can't always show.

15. I actually looked this up, 2006 Campogiovanni Brunello di Montalcino scores at number 4 in the Wine Spectator Top 100 (2011). It's made in Tuscany, Italy... in case anyone was interested in how in depth I go when I research (researching random trivia is a hobby and a bad habit of mine).

16. C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER! This is actually a line from the **Beatles**' **Blackbird**, a song I discovered while researching blackbirds randomly, I thought that it really represented Esther's story.

*I didn't want to put this in the paragraph, but the last section of the story are all the lines Varia sings in **Vs Mirai No Oozora E** (I love this song, although it has become difficult to find online as of late...), I tried to match them up with their respective singer

**Also, the title and last line is a shout out to two chapters in** Requiem of Rain**: chapter 6 (**Only Free, Only Me**) and chapter 10 (**Forever Free, Forever Me**)

I just wonder what I'm going to do next, I have a slight... _slight_ idea, but I wonder if I can do it. You guys want to hear what I'm thinking about?

Well...

...

What do you guys think about my take on the back stories of each of the Varia members? Be warned though, they're probably going to have punny names like their character song titles again. It's been an idea I've had since I started writing as each of the Varia members in this story. I can't promise that they'll be as dynamic as this one, but I guess we'll see, if I do go through with it.

Anyways, if you haven't seen my profile recently, school's about to start where I live, so I'll be taking my leave from the internet with school coming. I may be on Tumblr though, I'm also NikoLeto there. My Tumblr will be a hub for all my creative work, there may even be some _exclusive_ artwork up there too from the stories I've written.

Well, that's all for this story. Thank you, each and every one of you, for reading. I am grateful for all your support throughout this story. **BREAK OUT** would not be what it is today without all of your support. So thank you very much and I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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